“Apple CEO Tim Cook has the second-highest approval rating of tech leaders, according to a new Morning Consult poll,” Fawn Johnson and Amir Nasr report for Morning Consult. “In the wake of a swirling conflict over whether the tech giant should help the Federal Bureau of Investigation open an iPhone in a pending criminal case, the publicity seems to be good for Cook.”
“While Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is still a relative rock star, with 48 percent of registered voters viewing him favorably, people also like Cook,” Johnson and Nasr report. “About four out of 10 respondents (39 percent) said they view the Apple leader favorably. Most of the rest (44 percent) said they hadn’t heard of him or have no opinion. The only other tech CEO with similar recognition and favorability is Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, with 38 percent of respondents saying they like him.”
“While the technology community is standing behind Apple’s intention to fight the FBI, Morning Consult’s poll shows that Americans think that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company should help the investigators break into the phone. They say this even with a full understanding of Cook’s reasons for bucking the request,” Johnson and Nasr report. “Just over half (51 percent) of registered voters say Apple should unlock the phone, while 33 percent say the company shouldn’t. Sixteen percent don’t know or care. Respondents were given a lengthy explanation of Apple’s concerns.”
“Most respondents have at least heard of the Apple controversy… 12 percent said they hadn’t heard much about the Apple controversy, and another 12 percent said they’d heard nothing about it,” Johnson and Nasr report. “As some other polls have suggested, education is still a very important aspect to this debate. Many in the technology community have argued that the public might not truly understand the case, and that’s why they support the FBI, and think Apple should unlock the phone. Morning Consult’s poll results showed the importance of the public gaining that understanding. The poll prompted respondents with extra information about the case to see if they would then be more or less likely to support Apple’s position. It showed that when respondents saw some of Apple’s arguments laid out before them, they grew more likely to support the tech giant’s position in the debate.”
“While voters agree with Apple that a committee should be formed, there’s one split between the two. Apple wants Congress to take charge of the committee, while Morning Consult poll respondents think agencies in the executive branch such as the FBI or Department of Justice should lead. About four out of 10 people (42 percent) think the committee should be under a federal agency. Just 17 percent think the committee should be run by Congress,” Johnson and Nasr report. “The poll was conducted among 1,935 registered voters on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: More U.S. registered voters want to hand the keys to the FBI or DOJ than to their own elected representatives? Sheesh.
More education required. Much more.
In related news: Idiocracy writer says satirical film about a dumbed-down America has become a “documentary.”
NSFW (depending on where you work):
SEE ALSO:
In Republican debate, candidates back U.S. government over Apple – February 26, 2016
Donald Trump calls for Apple boycott over San Bernardino terrorist iPhone encryption – February 19, 2016
Obama administration: We’re only demanding Apple hack just one iPhone – February 17, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook lashes out at Obama administration over encryption, bemoans White House lack of leadership – January 13, 2016
Obama administration wants access to smartphones – December 15, 2015
Hillary Clinton wants a ‘Manhattan Project’ to cure encryption; Snowden, Andreessen mock – December 21, 2015
Obama administration’s calls for backdoors into encrypted communications echo Clinton-era key escrow fiasco – December 14, 2015
Eric Schmidt-backed startup stealthily working to put Hillary Clinton in the White House – October 9, 2015
Obama administration war against Apple just got uglier – July 31, 2015
Morning Consult address is a PO Box in DC.
Americans should be required by law to pass a simple test to prove basic literacy and that they understand the basics of how the government works before being allowed to vote. The country would benefit greatly.
I suppose you think of yourself as literate, do you?
Here’s a better idea: stop gutting public education (or having its focus be producing mindless nationalistic labor drones for business) and EDUCATE everyone.
Is that something you’ve been pushing for, F2T2? I hope so, since you think educated voters are a good idea. I’d be more inclined to agree that only informed/educated people should be allowed to vote if I hadn’t been alive during decades of powerful people destroying public education in the country.
Under your logic, a GOOD free public education is part of the right to vote. Do you agree?
Top priority of any government: EDUCATE the citizens. There is no better form for national defense.
Meanwhile in the USA: Playing games with financial tokens, aka $money$, has become the chief form of entertainment. (0_o)
I agree with you in spirit, but it seems odd to hear you request increased government regulation. Who knew you wanted to uphold standards of any kind by rule of law?
Agreeeeeeeeed!
Like i would like a doctor to make an opinion about my discomfort… Not the local psychic..or a layman. ..
One has to understand and be aware of what they are voting for… Or Whats the point of random voting?…..
Will definitly result in more meaningful outcome and less manipulation.
Its easy to manipulate the uninformed !
I’d agree but it ought to be applied to candidates first, particularly with regard to Donald Trump. Would he pass such a test? He hasn’t persuaded me that he understands how government works, only how people think. At that, he is brilliant: they don’t.
I think probably at some point in time each one of us has felt that way after we see a particularly idiotic poll result and say, “These damn mouth breathers are so stupid that…” And so on. But then we typically come to our senses and realize that the unintended consequences of excluding illiterates could be treacherous.
Let’s for a moment put aside the well known fact that blacks were excluded from voting for many decades due to literacy laws, which would be reason enough to never do such a thing again.
If we were to somehow create a colorblind literacy law, who’s to stop it from expanding its meaning and reach over time? What if someone designated you as “scientifically illiterate” because you didn’t subscribe to the hysteria surrounding global warming? Or that you were “economically illiterate” because you were (fill in the blank) capitalist, communist, socialist, etc.? Our political process would turn into a war of exclusions based on a majority view. Those with minority viewpoints would be silenced. The tyranny of the masses would be realized in all its oppressive horror.
So, literacy laws…? I think not. Better to educate and debate rather than silence at the polls.
Number one CEO in the USA. Tim’s got soul, Apple got soul.
Fuckerberg is #1. Dear God. Welcome to Idiocracy.
““More than half of respondents (54 percent) say their personal information and data would be less secure”
I don’t know what exactly the pollsters asked but it’s more than just ‘personal info’ given to the government, it’s security as in if the tool fell into the hands of hackers. It’s also if other countries start asking Apple to make ‘tools’ or backdoors for them. Plus if Apple can be forced what about Google, IBM, Msft etc. What happens to trade, will foreign companies and consumers buy compromised USA products? , China has already said it will not not allow sales of compromised iPhones.
did the pollsters explain those things?
Im on the side of a legislative committee addressing the issue and designing the proper provisions..
We cant continue having mass hysteria and chaos evertime a similar issue comes up.
Provisions have to be designed to satisfy both sides of the argument.. …
And im not saying its going to be easy… But it must be done…. And the process is beginning.
The hostile takeover of the Republican Party is almost complete. Trump is going to install slots and employee dancing girls at the new White House Casino Hotel. Fun Times.
What “hostile” takeover? Trump get up, spouts a bunch of vague bullshit, peppered with lots of name-calling and prejudice… and they lap it up. He hasn’t “taken over” anything. He’s simply an individual who is an embodiment of what the right wing have been spouting for years — unthinking fear, hatred and stupidity.
Remember how great life was before 9.11.2001???
Now think about The Patriot Act…then about The FBI vs Apple case…
Now think of President Donald Trump…
Doesn’t get more scary then that…Wake the fuck Up!!!
Congress is responsible for making laws, not executives in the Executive Branch. If there’s a commission it must be conducted by Congress.
The archaic law the FBI cited was created as a catch-all in the early years of our country before formalized specific laws were in place. That presumes that there’s no current law applicable to the situation we’re in, but there is, and Apple cited it in their response to the courts today. This law says the government can’t order Apple to do what they’re asking them to do. The FBI cannot just ignore active laws because they disagree with them.
I agree with how you think things should be.
But, have you been paying attention to law enforcement in the U.S.? It turns out they CAN “just ignore active laws because they disagree with them.”
Usually, the worst downside for law enforcement when they do that egregiously is that the taxpayers will (years down the road) have to pay out millions in a lawsuit settlement to the person whose rights they violated.
Typically, they destroy the life of a person, innocent or not, who has to fight for years in the court using their own money and time. Maybe, after years of fighting, they might have a shot at a lawsuit settlement. More often, especially if they are poor, they will have to accept a plea deal for a minor charge to avoid waiting in prison for the trial, even if they are innocent.
Zuckerberg has always seemed like a douchbag to me.