Net mob search for iPhone girl’s identity

China’s “human flesh search engine” is in hot pursuit of an unnamed Chinese factory worker after photographs of her showed up unexpectedly on a new iPhone 3G purchased recently in Britain.

The photos were discovered by an iPhone user in Britain who promptly posted his find on the MacRumors forum, setting off a global chain reaction of media interest and culminating in the quest by Chinese internet users to discover her identity.

The images have since been plastered all over the Chinese internet and as of the time of writing, there were over 20 million searches for the term “iPhone girl” recorded on Google’s Chinese search site, google.cn.

Chinese journalists and bloggers have already narrowed the search down to the quality control section on the fifth floor of one of the FoxConn factory buildings - where up to 1000 employees reportedly work.

FoxConn representatives have confirmed to several Chinese newspapers that the woman - dubbed the “iPhone girl” - is an employee of the company.

The spokesman said workers had most probably been testing the phone’s camera and had forgotten to delete the photos. He said those involved would not be fired for the mistake.

“Small mistakes are unavoidable,” the news agency AFP quoted FoxConn spokesman Liu Kun as saying. “I would call this a beautiful mistake.”