Gizmodo’s plans to stop police from searching Jason Chen’s devices for information pertaining to the lost (or stolen) iPhone 4G appears to have failed — sort of. Lawyers for Gizmodo and the chief deputy district attorney for San Mateo County have come to an agreement to allow a third-party (called a special master) to search the devices and alert both sides of only information about the iPhone 4G.
After the search is concluded, the special master will send his findings of what he believes is relevant to the case on to the judge, who will then present it to Chen and his lawyers so they can make any objections. The judge will then decide what to forward to the district attorney. The process could take up to two months, Wagstaffe told CNET.