Apple PD

When I was a young nerd, me and the boys would play us some AD&D, but would mix in a little Cyberpunk when we needed to trade swords for automatic sidearms. And we had no idea how prophetic it would be...

Among the street samurai and fixers were mega-corporations and their private armies to do their bidding. Apparently, we've caught up with the future, because Apple has their security force dictating orders to the local police.

Much like the last iPhone release, Apple's idiot staff can't seem to keep their secret toys from getting lost. Hoping to find their prototype, two Apple "security officials" searched Sergio Calderón's home. The problem is, it was SFPD who initiated the visit, and misled Calderón into thinking all six badge-wearing visitors were city police. "When they came to my house, they said they were SFPD," he said. "I thought they were SFPD. That's why I let them in."

Initially, statements by the SFPD indicated that no records existed of police involvement in the search, but they changed their tune and admitted that plainclothes officers accompanied two Apple security officials. They stood outside while the Apple employees scoured Calderón's home, car, and computer files for the lost iPhone 5, which was not found and Calderón denies that he ever possessed it.

Of course, Apple has no comment, but here in California, impersonating a police officer can get you up to a year of jail time. I'm hoping both Apple and the SFPD take the appropriate heat over this, because the unchecked control that corporations have over the authorities this represents is frightening.