US president Barack Obama has backed authorities in the debate pitting encryption and personal privacy against national security, saying authorities need access to data on electronic devices because the "dangers are real".
Mr Obama, appearing at an annual technology festival in Austin, Texas, delivered his most extensive comments to date on the issue being played out in court.
Apple, one of the world's largest technology companies, is challenging the US government's request that it help the FBI access data on a mobile phone used in the San Bernardino, California, attack that killed 14 people.
The issue has rocked the tech industry and divided Mr Obama's advisers, but the president seemed to side with law enforcement despite also saying the matter would not be settled by adopting an "absolutist view".
He restated his commitment to strong encryption but also raised the question of how authorities would catch child pornographers or disrupt terror plots if smartphones and other electronic devices were designed to keep their data locked away forever.
"My conclusion so far is that you cannot take an absolutist view on this," the president said.
"So if your argument is strong...
