iPhone case puts task force, firms in spotlight

The state task force that seized several computers and devices last Friday belonging to a tech blogger who got his hands on an unreleased iPhone prototype has been thrown into the spotlight as observers wonder if the team's relationship with tech companies affects how they prioritize their cases.

The Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team is one of five multi-jurisdictional task forces charged with investigating high-tech crimes in the state and serves the counties of San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz. Currently, 17 agents from the participating jurisdictions are assigned to the task force. Besides reporting to local law enforcement agencies and the California Emergency Management Agency, which manages the task forces' funding, REACT meets on a quarterly basis with a steering committee composed by several tech industry representatives, including Adobe, Symantec, Cisco and Apple. These companies provide training and intelligence on criminal trends afflicting them, such as the illegal distribution of pirated software over the Internet, REACT members said. But the raid the task force conducted on the Fremont home of Jason Chen, an editor and writer at tech blog Gizmodo, has raised questions about the ability of the steering committee members, like Apple, to influence the team's investigative priorities.