“This whole lost iPhone 5 prototype story just got whole lot more interesting,” Todd Haselton reports for BGR. “According to SF Weekly, six investigators claiming to be members of the San Francisco police department descended upon one Bernal Heights, San Francisco man’s home in search of a lost iPhone 5 prototype that CNET originally reported had been left in a bar. The scary part? The SFPD confirmed the investigators weren’t police officers at all. Instead, it appears as though they may have actually been members of Apple’s security team allegedly impersonating police officers.”
“The officers in question claimed that they had traced the iPhone 5 to the man’s [Sergio Calderon] house using the device’s GPS feature,” Haselton reports. “Reportedly, the police force that did investigate Calderon offered him a number to call if he found any more information on the device. SF Weekly called the number and Anthony Colon, an Apple employee answered the call. Colon is currently employed by Apple as a ‘senior investigator,’ and he once worked for the San Jose police department.”
Haselton reports, “The San Francisco Police Department stated that it would only launch an investigation into the matter if Calderon decides to speak with them directly.”
More details in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “trevorteusc” for the heads up.]
They ARE the police! The iPolice!
It looks like SF Weekly already updated their story to note that the police did, in fact, assist Apple in this investigation.
So, that was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. Doesn’t stop the idiocy in the comment section of the original article of course, with people still commenting without apparently being aware of the updated information.
Did you read the update? The police waited outside while employees of a corporation searched a house.
Im sorry thats still wrong and downright scary when you think about it.
If true then “Stupid is as stupid dose” will apply here. I an sure that that isn’t either Apple’s or Steve Jobs/Tim Cook’s policy.
Stupid dose?
LOL!
Complete BS. MDN why are you giving this any credence? Apple is NOT going around impersonating the police.
Wait a minute, I thought there wasn’t a lost iPhone 5? Now there is? But it was GPS tracked to a house where it wasn’t? And the SF Police weren’t really SF Police?
I think somebody has a publicity stunt going, and it’s not Apple.
This must be a publicity stunt by the accuser. I can’t imagine the Corporation sending thugs as police impersonators to shake this guy down. Now if he said that it was robocop I might believe it.
The penalties for impersonating a police office and gaining illegal entry to someone’s house must be considerable. (Anyone know?) And then there is all the bad publicity. There is no way that Apple would be so stupid.
Wouldn’t stop a Republican. Good thing Steve is a Democrat.
And until a few days ago, an employed Democrat. ZERO jobs in August… Double Dip is a coming, sadly…
That’s okay… Gizmodo was accused of impersonating Journalism with reporters and such!… during the ddlost iPhone 4 incident of 2010!
I say this stinks of Gawker poop, Gizmocops?
Gawker Gizmodo Lan and Chan at it again…since there’s no missing phone and theres no proof of anything, why blame them?
Next twist: MIB!
Are you all saying that the fellow who provided MobileBeat with the phone number was just lucky to make up a phone number that just happened to reach an Apple employee who is an ex San Jose policeman? Who is making this stuff up? They even posted the name of the Apple employee, Anthony Colon. Why do you think this is a stunt by accuser. How long would that take to be uncovered? Right now, fanboy since 1984 thatI am, I am worried Apple has screwed up here even more that their fuss over the first lost phone which is still going on. Hope I am wrong, but fear I am right.
Yeah Anthony Colon, the brother of Hugh Rectal Colon is the perpetrator all right.
Are you still around? I had hoped that quote of yours insulting the president that Breeze keeps posting would shame you to go away.
BTW CNET and others are all over this and Apple has said nothing.
FYI I have been a fanboy ever since I bought my first Mac 128 in 1984. I hate to see Apple do shit like this, and I truly hope they did not. When will they respond?
ditto
You and breeze should get a room for some gay heave ho.
Thank your lucky stars for the Internet, Balmer’s fungused testicle, where every dog can masquerade as a king, because in the real world you wouldn’t even make it to the other side of the street.
Blah blah blah blah. What a boring old fart you are. Keep stalking me you gay lord.
Dear Tim:
As I have told you on in the past (and received a personal response from you), I have been a huge Apple admirer, customer, and promoter over the last 20 years. Your products, service, innovation, and philosophy are exceptional.
Recently, I have been reading about a developing scandal involving another lost iPhone prototype at another bar in the San Francisco area. I am withholding judgment and opinion, but it seems to be developing that Apple’s security team sent Apple employees to a gentleman’s home where they flashed badges, potentially impersonated police officers (in appearance and action if not declared), and definitely searched the man’s home and computer.
It appears that the team was headed by, or at least included Anthony Colon, a senior investigator for your company. Your employees apparently also questioned the gentleman about he and his family’s immigration status and apparently at no point did they ever claim to be working on behalf of Apple.
Mr. Cook:
Again, I reserve judgment until the San Francisco Police have completed a thorough investigation into this matter, as well as any other governmental and civil authorities charged with protecting our civil liberties. Needless to say, however, I still believe privacy, civil rights, and respect are part of the core Apple values.
As such, I would anticipate you will direct a full inquiry into this matter, take comprehensive corrective action, and ensure that any violations of these principles will be dealt with swiftly, severely, and completely.
The iPhone, as remarkable as it is, is a revolutionary device at a fair price. Obviously, a man and his family’s privacy and dignity is priceless.
Thank you in advance for attending to this matter, from the top down.
Sincerely,
Hey there Mr. Stark – If you’re done double-posting your “I reserve judgment but I’m still judging you anyway” letter to Tim Cook, you might want to take note of the updates to the original story.
Dear Tim:
As I have told you on in the past (and received a personal response from you), I have been a huge Apple admirer, customer, and promoter over the last 20 years. Your products, service, innovation, and philosophy are exceptional.
Recently, I have been reading about a developing scandal involving another lost iPhone prototype at another bar in the San Francisco area. I am withholding judgment and opinion, but it seems to be developing that Apple’s security team sent Apple employees to a gentleman’s home where they flashed badges, potentially impersonated police officers (in appearance and action if not declared), and definitely searched the man’s home and computer.
It appears that the team was headed by, or at least included Anthony Colon, a senior investigator for your company. Your employees apparently also questioned the gentleman about he and his family’s immigration status and apparently at no point did they ever claim to be working on behalf of Apple.
Mr. Cook:
Again, I reserve judgment until the San Francisco Police have completed a thorough investigation into this matter, as well as any other governmental and civil authorities charged with protecting our civil liberties. Needless to say, however, I still believe privacy, civil rights, and respect are part of the core Apple values.
As such, I would anticipate you will direct a full inquiry into this matter, take comprehensive corrective action, and ensure that any violations of these principles will be dealt with swiftly, severely, and completely.
The iPhone, as remarkable as it is, is a revolutionary device at a fair price. Obviously, a man and his family’s privacy and dignity is priceless.
Thank you in advance for attending to this matter, from the top down.
Sincerely,
What the heck? Tim Cook is not here, bro.
Sorry, no points scored…
Latest official news. Much better than all this stuff I have been worried about. From Electronista
The SFPD in a follow-up to its investigation was told by the SFPD that the controversial iPhone 5 hunt did occur with its blessing. After a check, Lt. Troy Dangerfield told SFWeekly that four police officers followed Apple senior investigator Tony Colon and one other Apple official in the search of Sergio Calderon’s house. Dangerfield’s account had the four officers outside while the two Apple staff were inside conducting their search.
Calderon, who didn’t mention who had actually entered into the house, confirmed that only two people actually entered the house and hadn’t identified themselves as police officers. He gave permission to the group to conduct the search and, based on the new information, effectively waived his privacy rights. However, he had assumed the Apple workers were also SFPD and now says he wouldn’t have let them in if he had known.
Questions still persist over the handling of the case that could result in legal trouble for Apple, the SFPD, and Calderon alike. It’s not known how much authority the police had to work in tandem with Apple, especially as the SFPD didn’t record the event like it was required. Whether or not Colon and his co-worker represented themselves properly is also in question, as is the treatment from the police officers, who purportedly intimidated Calderon and family by questioning their US citizienship.
Simultaneously, though, Calderon’s denial isn’t consistent with Apple’s claims. It tracked the missing iPhone 5 from the Cava 22 tequila bar that Calderon visited the day in question back to his home, but he still maintains that he doesn’t have the prototype.
Current revelations do at at least partly exonerate Colon, who went through police channels to pursue the phone. The investigator is a veteran of both the police and private security with awards for his service.
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/02/sfpd.finds.it.did.give.apple.help.in.iphone.5.hunt/#ixzz1WqMxwfKl
Whichever way this turns out, it still looks bad for Apple.
I hate to say it, but fire the Apple employee who lost the prototype phone. He or she is costing Apple dearly–not just the security follow-up, but bad PR regardless of the truth, and now possibly legal problems, and when it’s all over there’s it’s almost certain it’ll far outweigh his contributions as an employee.
What bad PR donkey haven’t you repeatedly done stupid things you should have known better about?
Embarrassment is about the extent of it. Egg on your face is no measure of contributions or achievement. Grow up.
Sorry the donkey slipped in.
Actually no I *don’t* repeatedly do stupid things I should know better than to do. Ironically, that’s called being grown up.
I do not believe in the addage “no publicity is bad”. It’s right up there with “the customer is always right” and “buyer beware”.
This incident (whatever the story is) is getting the iPhone 5 in the news, but Apple is so big now they don’t *need* pre-release buzz. They’ve proven in the past to be unable to meet initial demand for weeks anyway.
The story has already gone from a somewhat cynical “oh they’re doing it again”, to “corporate security and cops violating due process” with a promise of lawyers getting involved.
This is not just embarrassment for the employee, like a broken overnight software build, this slipup kicked off a recovery response that’s costing Apple a lot of goodwill. After last year’s bar loss, it should’ve been drilled into the heads (and probably in signed release forms) of anyone who took these new iPhones into the wild, that losing their super-secret charges to unauthorized public would be a fire-able offence.
Have a few brownie points then.
I imagine these Apple security staff were wearing sunglasses indoors, thus preventing them spotting the errant iPhone.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/09/02/iphone.5.prototype/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo