News
The Jason Chen Raid: Does Steve Jobs Hate Blogs?
Alex Moore :: Monday, April 26th, 2010 7:45 pm
iPhonegate got more interesting on Monday, as Gizmodo editor John Chen’s computers were seized by police under warrant from a Superior Court Judge in San Mateo County. But more interesting is the philosophical question this raises about Apple’s relationship to technology: does Steve Jobs hate blogs?
Gawker Media demanded the property be returned, citing a California law that protects journalists from having to turn over unpublished material in a search. An key question, posed by Gawker head Nick Denton: “Are bloggers journalists? I guess we’ll find out.”
Earlier this year in the press advance for iPad, Jobs’s reticence about the open-source trend championed by the blog world and tech platforms like Firefox was highlighted in a New York Times article: “‘Steve believes in old media companies and wants them to do well,’ said a person who has seen the device and is familiar with Apple’s marketing plan for it, but who did not want to be named because talking about it might alienate him from the company. ‘He believes democracy is hinged on a free press and that depends on there being a professional press.’”
Jobs clearly believes in limiting controls as a means to optimizing excellence: hence the approval process of the App Store and the intense inter-company secrecy surrounding all its R&D. Apple’s approach to technological progress is, to some extent, at odds with the trend of the ever more open, more shareable communication of the blog world and the open-source cheerleaders.
The seizure of Jason Chen’s computers brings the philosophical conflict to a head: were these civilian devices used to commit a felony as the judge’s warrant suggests, or are these the modern-day tools of the free press, protected by the rights of journalists? Is the free press in the hands of the open-source web, or in the old definition of a “professional press” as described in the Times article? As Nick Denton says, I guess we’ll find out. Denton vs. Jobs: fight!
Gee, Jason Chen boasted that he bought an iPhone prototype that he thought belonged to Apple. How is this a case of freedom of the press? He freaking bought STOLEN PROPERTY! That’s illegal last time I checked.
Posted by: Jill Weber April 26th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Oh pipe down Apple kiddies. Your precious company will do just fine.
I, for one, hope the media learns a lesson and stops covering Apple products altogether. Apple’s hostility for a free press and free journalism should cost it the free endless advertising that its mediocre and overpriced products have been getting in the press the last eight years.
The sooner we return to a world where Apple is a footnote and its fanboys are the Scientologists of technology, the better.
Posted by: Brian April 26th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
pretty smart guy!
Posted by: Roger April 26th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Maybe he just hates thieves? I’d have sympathy for Chen if his rag hadn’t also done a hit job on the engineer who lost it. If you want to be treated like a journalist, you have to act like one. Gawker’s amateurs didn’t.
Posted by: John April 26th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Jason knew what he was doing and so did Gawker… they knowingly bought hot property and now they are paying the price. I go to Gizmodo daily and love their site, but the manner they went about this was very arrogant. Even after the articles they were rather boastful on the site so to be honest I think they are getting what they deserve.
Even if the charges don’t stick and all the material is thrown out do you believe for one second Gizmodo will cover another Apple event?
Where is their logic? We paid 5k for a hot phone we heavily suspect is the next gen iPhone. They out the guy who lost it… and don’t contact Apple to inquire whether the phone is indeed their property yet they admit they thought it was. This alone is an admission of guilt…
Their arrogant / boastful behavior that followed vs lying low drew more attention to themselves and I think pissed of Apple into taking legal action.
Posted by: Joseph Croasdaile April 27th, 2010 at 12:15 am
According to Gizmodo, The guy who originally found the PHONE tried to give it back to Apple twice!! and they informed him that it was not a prototype. They did not claim that it was their phone until GIZMODO posted pictures of it. They then asked for it and it was returned. It is not a transfer of stolen property if you find something and try to return it and it is refused.
Posted by: Casey April 27th, 2010 at 4:02 am
Since when is Steve Jobs controlling criminal investigations? You guys give this CEO waaaaay too much credit and mythical power.
Gizmodo plastered their crime all over the internet. They’ve made it really easy for a computer crime task force to do exactly what they are employed to do - investigate computer-tech-related crimes.
Apple has nothing to do with this other than confirming that “Yep, it was our product prototype” (that Gizmodo illegally purchased and dismantled for the world to see).
There’s a reason that Engadget stopped their version of the story after posting photos - they aren’t stupid “journalist” amateurs.
Posted by: Billy April 27th, 2010 at 4:54 am
Gee, Jason Chen boasted that he bought an iPhone prototype that he thought belonged to Apple. How is this a case of freedom of the press? He freaking bought STOLEN PROPERTY! That’s illegal last time I checked.
Posted by: Lee April 27th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Paparazzi are protected by those shield laws and they do hit pieces all day.. If TMZ had found that phone there would be no raid and they pay for info all damn day..
Posted by: davey D April 27th, 2010 at 8:11 am
The Headline should read: The Jason Chen Raid: Bought Stolen Property because he is a moron HAHAHAHHA
Yea much better.
Posted by: CommonSense April 27th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Oh pipe down Apple kiddies. Your precious company will do just fine.
I, for one, hope the media learns a lesson and stops covering Apple products altogether. Apple’s hostility for a free press and free journalism should cost it the free endless advertising that its mediocre and overpriced products have been getting in the press the last eight years.
The sooner we return to a world where Apple is a footnote and its fanboys are the Scientologists of technology, the better.
Posted by: Rick April 27th, 2010 at 9:19 am
not: are you guys making up comments. many of the comments are exact copies with different names.
Also, apple is on the steering committee for the crime task force (REACT) that seized Chens property.
Posted by: Chas April 27th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Hey Chas, that’s actually a form of spam that we’re trying to get rid of. It mimics actual comments and then links to bogus websites. Sorry about that!
Posted by: Shannon Hassett April 27th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
the full story more or less: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/04/iphone-raid/
Information about the REACT Task force: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1795
Posted by: Chas April 27th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Shannon, I really appreciate your response! I’m really relieved.
Posted by: Chas April 27th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Civil rights violation
Posted by: Garrik April 28th, 2010 at 2:19 am
Since when is Steve Jobs controlling criminal investigations? You guys give this CEO waaaaay too much credit and mythical power.
Gizmodo plastered their crime all over the internet. They’ve made it really easy for a computer crime task force to do exactly what they are employed to do - investigate computer-tech-related crimes.
Apple has nothing to do with this other than confirming that “Yep, it was our product prototype” (that Gizmodo illegally purchased and dismantled for the world to see).
There’s a reason that Engadget stopped their version of the story after posting photos - they aren’t stupid “journalist” amateurs.
Posted by: Tony April 28th, 2010 at 4:09 am