Rallying cry: Standing with Apple against the feds (pictures)

Members of the digital rights groups Fight for the Future and the Electronic Frontier Foundation held a brief rally outside an Apple store in downtown San Francisco on February 17. They gathered to show support for the tech giant's refusing to cooperate with a US judge's order to crack open an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14 people and injured 22 in December.

A supporter writes a thank-you note to Apple CEO Tim Cook for his pushback against a US judge's order to assist the FBI in unlocking the iPhone at question in San Bernardino case.

A supporter posted a note on an Apple Store window in downtown San Francisco that reads: "Thank you for fighting for our freedom and our rights against the U.S. Government!!"

Many people lined up outside an Apple store in San Francisco supporting the company's refusal to cooperate with the FBI's demand to access an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino incident. The supporters believe cooperation would set a chilling precedent and violate privacy rights.

People at the rally show off their smartphones, some with a sticker on them that reads, "I do not consent to the search of this device."

Apple supporters cheered Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn during a rally outside the Apple store in San Francisco. Cohn told the crowd she appreciated the tech giant not backing down from the US government. "We deserve to have a secure online experience," she said.

Electronic Frontier Foundation member Danny Ames urged his fellow members to call their local politicians in support of Apple's stance. Ames said he has called California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, as well as Congresswoman Jackie Speier, to voice his objections to the judge's ruling.