Apple has support of independent voters in FBI iPhone battle - CNET

Apple has at least one firm political ally in its fight with the FBI over an encrypted iPhone linked to the deadly San Beardino terrorist attack: the independent voter.

Overall, Americans asked about the case are equally divided as to whether national security interests outweigh privacy conces, according to a poll of registered voters released Tuesday. The poll, conducted by Wall Street Joual and NBC News, asked respondents which scenario conceed them more: that the US won't go far enough in monitoring terror suspects' communications, or that the govement would go too far and violate the privacy of its citizens.

Overall, 47 percent said they feared the govement wouldn't go far enough in protecting national security, while 44 percent feared it would intrude too far into citizens' privacy. Republicans leaned toward protecting national security over a govement overreach conces, 57 percent to 37 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Democrats were a little more evenly split on the subject, with 50 percent worrying the govement would go too far and 40 percent worrying it wouldn't go far enough.

The only voter group that seems to be siding with Apple on the issue is the independent voter. By a 2-to-1 margin, independent voters, who don't tend to identify with either major US political party, said Apple shouldn't cooperate with the FBI's efforts to crack open a phone (58 percent). Only 28 percent of independents said the company should cooperate.

The poll results give a little more insight into the closely-watched and intensifying standoff between Apple and the feds. At issue is whether courts and law enforcement agencies can compel Apple to break the iPhone's security features.