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Volume 2
Privacy vs. Nat’l Security:
Americans Conflicted Over
Apple-FBI Standoff
As Apple and the FBI square off over whether the feds
should get access to the iPhone of a shooter who killed 14
people in the San Bernardino terror attack, Americans are
uneasy about whether the tech company should be
required to help the FBI unlock the phone and distrustful of
how law enforcement would handle personal information on
their devices.
Apple’s refusal to unlock the phone has sparked a fierce
debate over what should take priority – national security
needs or the right to privacy. Just half of Americans believe
that Apple should be required to unlock the phone,
according to the Vrge Analytics survey of 600 Americans
conducted February 18-19, 2016.
But that support dips to under half (46 percent) when asked
the hypothetical question whether Apple should unlock their
own smart phones at the FBI request. And Americans are
clearly uneasy over whether the FBI can be trusted with the
personal information they found.
According to the survey, only 41 percent of Americans said
that they would “trust that the FBI would handle my
personal information in a responsible manner and not use it
to harm me.” Among demographic groups, millennials and
those living out west were most apt to be distrustful of the
FBI acting responsibly with personal information – providing
some clues perhaps into why the presidential campaigns of
Bernie Sandersand Donald Trump have resonated with
voters.
Trust, or distrust, clearly drives American’s views. Among
those who said they don’t trust the FBI to handle their
personal information responsibly, 65 percent don’t believe
that Apple should be forced to unlock the shooter’s iPhone
and 76 percent would want Apple to refuse to open up their
own device if asked by the FBI.
“This standoff has put a spotlight on a 240-year-old
principle of privacy that is being tested by technology,
terrorism, and trust of our government,” said Tom Galvin,
partner at Vrge Strategies, which conducted the survey. “In
a post-Edward Snowden breach era, tech companies do
not want to be seen as being in bed with government, and
the government is prioritizing national security over privacy
concerns.”
March 2016 Edition
“The conflict is clear: citizens expect tech companies to
keep their information private, but they also expect
government to keep them safe,” added Galvin. “This court
battle pits those principles against each other.”
Despite numerous data breaches, digital tracking tools,
and Americans sharing their lives on social media, citizens
still have an expectation of privacy, according to the
survey. Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) said, “Of
course we should still have an expectation of privacy,
technology doesn’t change that.” Tellingly, that number
jumps to over 80 percent for those who said they don’t
trust the FBI.
Other insights from the survey:
• Females are slightly more supportive of the FBI. Fiftyfive percent said Apple should be required to unlock the
phone and they were more trustful that the FBI would
handle their own personal information responsibly.
• Millennials, those aged 18-29, are more distrustful of
the government. Only 43 percent thought that Apple
should be forced to unlock the iPhone. They were also
twice as likely to report that if their phone were checked
on that something embarrassing would be found on it.
• The higher an American’s income, the more likely he or
she is to support the FBI and call on Apple to unlock the
iPhone. Fifty-five percent of those who have a
household income above$100,000 said they would trust
the FBI to handle their personal information in a
responsible way.
• Where Americans live has a clear impact on their
opinion. Those who live out west – including Silicon
Valley, the home of many tech companies – are much
more likely to distrust the FBI and side with Apple. Only
34 percent of those from the Pacific region said they
would trust the FBI.
“We are heading into a time of enormous conflict spurred
by how technology is reshaping our culture and laws,” said
Galvin. “Navigating that change, whether you are a Silicon
Valley upstart or a government body struggling to make
sense of it, will be the difference between success and
failure for the next decade.”
Full results of the survey, which has a margin of error of 3
percent, are available upon request.
About Vrge Strategies
Based in Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA and Seattle,
WA, Vrge helps startups and established companies –
disruptors and the disrupted – navigate this uncharted
territory by positioning them, identifying the audiences that
matter most, and creating advocacy campaigns to advance
their goals – whether they be legislative, regulatory,
societal or business-to-business. For more information, go
to http://www.vrge.us.
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