PHOTOS: Protesters Gather to Support Apple in FBI iPhone Fight

Concerned iPhone users and digital security supporters banded together on Tuesday, holding protests in nearly 50 U.S. cities to support Apple in its iPhone encryption fight with the FBI.

The protests came one week after a Los Angeles District Court judge ruled that the tech titan must assist the U.S. government in the search of an iPhone 5c owned by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. Protesters opposed to the government's demand carried banners and iPhone-shaped signs saying things like "FBI: Don't Break Our Phones" and "Secure Phones Save Lives."

The rallies, called for by digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future and supported by other activist organizations like Demand Progress and CREDO, took place in cities across the country, from Anchorage, Alaska to New York City. PCMag's Paul Maljak was on the ground at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City, where he said a dozen or so protestors braved wind and rain to show support for Apple while kept inside police barricades.

"People are rallying at Apple stores because giving the government easier access to our data also gives everyone else, including terrorists, thieves and stalkers, easier access to our data — making all of us less safe, not more safe," Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, said in a statement. "The government's unconstitutional attack on our digital security could put millions of people in danger, so it's critically important that we support any fight to keep our most sensitive personal, medical, legal and financial information protected."

Outside the U.S., people in London and Muninch also gathered to express their concern about companies weakening encryption in response to government pressure.

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"Apple's stand will help keep security threats at bay," Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal said in a statement. "But we will all be less safe if the FBI succeeds. Our devices will become more vulnerable and the sensitive data they hold will be more accessible to people who want it for malicious purposes."

Not everyone agrees. In a recent Pew Research Center study, 51 percent of respondents said Apple should unlock the iPhone; only 38 percent think the company should stand its ground. Many tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, and Google are supporting Apple, but Bill Gates seemingly sided with the FBI earlier this week.

For more, see Apple's FBI Battle Is About the Gadgets We Haven't Even Thought of Yet.