…is a small detail buried in a few of the writeups concerning the search ‘n seizure of Jason Chen’s ‘puter equipment- among them, here. It states that Apple, among other companies, control how a law enforcement agency might seem to be doing the bidding of Steve Jobs’ whims. I’ve been wondering about the REACT task force’s backing of the Apple Corporation and it’s presence on the steering committee for said task force. Hot Air picked up on a Yahoo! news item and seems to be wondering on along the same lines as I am; whether law enforcement task forces might be unconstitutional, or at least in violation of impartiality rules, if their own governing entities are party to the investigations at hand.

Preceded in the article is the debate whether Jason Chen should be considered a journalist for purposes of protection under the reporter shield law. Given that the overwhelming majority of people think that Gizmodo is a legit New Media site, I don’t see how the notion of the possible payment for the iPhone negates the shield protections: the law does not have language akin to “Cannot confiscate any material of a journalist unless said journalist greased somebody’s palm to pick up evidence.” Or at least I didn’t read that part; tell me if I missed it.

Anyhow, I am nailed to the news feeds until Gawker’s lawyers peel themselves away from their turbocharged Smith Coronas long enough to file a complaint to the court in the area. More than anything else, I love watching a good geekfight and this will likely prove to be a doozy.

Edited to include additional link for background.