Rallies are being held today at Apple Store locations around the world, in support of the company's
stance on privacy. Set to take place at over 40 stores across the United States and abroad, the rally organized by
Fight for the Future will start at 5:30pm local time for each store, with the message being one of support for Apple, and a protest against government demands for tech companies to weaken encryption used on smartphones and tablets.
As part of the effort, the
Don't Break Our Phones site has offered resources and help to those turning up to the rallies. The site suggests using the screen of smartphones and tablets to display a digital protest sign, to take photographs and videos of people showing the signs so they can be shared on social media, and to contact others for support. The page also warns protestors to "be enthusiastic, but positive," concentrating their energy into "educating the public, lawmakers, and the press" about the danger of the FBI's request to decrypt an iPhone.
According to the organization's website, Apple Stores will not be the only target for gatherings. The headquarters of the FBI, the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, DC, will be the venue of a protest directly
against the FBI for its request for Apple to create a tool for accessing data on a suspect's iPhone.
"People are rallying at Apple stores because what the FBI is demanding here will make all of us less safe, not more safe," argues Fight for the Future campaign director Evan Greer. "Their unconstitutional attack on our digital security could put millions of people in danger, so we're giving those people a way to get their voices heard."
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