Apple cofounder weighs in on FBI controversy: 'I think Steve would have gone for the privacy'

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak is firmly in support of CEO Tim Cook's public stance to not help the FBI crack a terrorist's iPhone.

In fact, he believes that Apple founder Steve Jobs would've taken the same stance.

"I think Steve would've gone for the privacy," Wozniak said during a phone interview on CNBC on Thursday.

Wozniak is no longer involved with Apple on a day-to-day basis, but he still has a unique perspective on the company's history and philosophy.

Wozniak joins other notable technology executives such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Whatsapp CEO Jan Koum in applauding Cook's open letter.

"With court orders and whatnot, I think that Apple would respond," Wozniak said, "But this case is more like, 'Should you build in a backdoor you can always find out what someone has,' then they can not have a realm of privacy, and I'm on privacy's side."

"There will always be terrorism, I don't believe that [Apple's stance] protects terrorism, there are other methods of investigation," Wozniak said.

Wozniak believes that it's not just the government that can misuse the custom software the FBI wants because "future people, that run something like Apple, might decide to use it in ways they shouldn't."

Cook argued in his open letter that "while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control."

Wozniak also relayed an interesting story about another time the FBI visited Apple headquarters:

"One time we talked to the FBI. They came into Apple and notified us how to watch for all these tiny spies that were going to try to get our IT. Steve asked the FBI one question: 'We do the same thing, right?' And the FBI guy said 'No, we don't.'"

"I believe in truth." Wozniak said. "I think they were lying, and I don't respect that answer."