Majority Of Americans Think Apple Should Unlock iPhone For FBI

As the battle between the FBI and Apple Inc. AAPL over unlocking iPhones continues to unravel, public opinion is skewing towards the government. The Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey where it asked people if the tech giant should unlock the iPhone used by one of the suspects in the San Bernardino terrorist attacks for the FBI.

Fifty-one percent of respondents said Apple should cooperate with the FBI, unlocking the iPhone in question, while only 38 percent said it shouldn't. It seems like this is not an ideological or partisan issue. Fifty-five percent of the Democrats and 56 percent of the Republicans polled favored the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Related Link: Apple Vs. FBI: Whose Side Is The Former NSA Director Michael Hayden On?

A factor that seemed to have a larger influence over the positions that Americans took was smartphone (especially iPhone) ownership. The chart below illustrates the stand of iPhone and smartphone owners on the Apple-FBI dispute.

Source: Statista

In case you missed it, check out CEO Tim Cook's open letter, where he makes a case for Apple and the safety of personal data, and against the demands of the DoJ and FBI.

Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no positions in any of the securities mentioned above.