The White House and U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials support arguments by the nation’s law enforcement and intelligence leaders that encryption technology should be restricted or modified to make it easier for the government to access private data.

Speaking at the world’s largest computer security event, the RSA conference, Jeh Johnson—the U.S. secretary for Homeland Security—said that strong encryption was hampering law enforcement and that workarounds were needed. At the same event, President Obama’s cybersecurity coӧrdinator said that the White House was looking into what methods could be required in encryption technology to give law enforcement and other agencies a way in.

The remarks come after FBI director James Comey called last year for unlocking mechanisms for systems like those that automatically encrypt data on Apple smartphones. Just last week, National Security Agency head Michael Rogers sketched out a system where companies would have to hand over encryption keys to his agency and others in government.

In a keynote speech at the RSA conference, Johnson cautioned the computer industry against widening the use of strong encryption. He likened the situation to a world in which the telephone had been introduced without an accompanying mechanism for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to tap phone calls. “Our inability to access encrypted information poses public safety challenges,” he said. “Encryption is making it harder for your government to find criminal activity.”

Johnson did not recommend specific technical solutions, but made it clear that he felt the government should have a way to circumvent or unwind encryption. He appealed to the computer network and security professionals in the audience to consider how it might be done. “We need your help to find a solution,” he said....