Apple losing to feds in court of public opinion - CNET

The Justice Department seems to have more supporters than Apple in its battle to get the tech giant to unlock an iPhone linked to the San Beardino massacre.

More than 50 percent of those surveyed by the Pew Research Center believe that Apple should help the FBI access information from an iPhone 5C used by Syed Farook, a shooter in the deadly terror attack. Meanwhile, 38 percent of the more than 1,000 Americans surveyed said the tech giant should not assist the feds and 11 percent did not have an opinion, Pew said Monday.

Among smartphone owners, 50 percent said Apple should help the FBI unlock the iPhone, compared with 41 percent who said the company shouldn't.

The results are in sharp contrast to a CNET poll in which a majority of nearly 15,000 readers are siding with Apple's refusal to assist.

Apple and the FBI are embroiled in a high-profile battle that's taking place not only in federal court, but also in the court of public opinion, with tech leaders and govement officials on opposite sides. It's part of larger national debate on how to balance privacy with national security and the role technology should play in investigating and anticipating terroristic threats.

Tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Sundar Pichai of Google and Jack Dorsey of Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union and the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation are publicly supporting Apple CEO Tim Cook's stance in refusing to break into the phone.

However, many politicians and noted law enforcement leaders want Apple to comply with a judge's order to assist the FBI in cracking the phone's lock screen. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, GOP presidential frontruer Donald Trump, and New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton are among those who want Apple to cooperate with the govement.

On Monday, Cook urged the US govement to drop its order for Apple to create a backdoor into an iPhone tied to the December shootings that killed 14 and injured 22. Cook argues that such a move sets "a dangerous precedent" and would expose iPhone users to severe security risks.

That came a day after FBI Director James Comey said in blog he wants the tech giant to create a new version of its iOS software that allows investigators access to the smartphone. "We don't want to break anyone's encryption or set a master key loose on the land," he said.

In other results from the Pew survey: Forty-seven percent of iPhone owners said Apple should assist the feds, while 43 percent said it shouldn't citing security conces; and about 75 percent of survey participants said they heard at least something about the dispute, compared with 39 percent who said they heard a lot and 36 percent who know a little about it.

The FBI declined to comment on the poll results, and Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.