Obama attempts to heal rift between tech world and government at SXSW

The president did not directly comment on the battle between Apple and the FBI but said that 'fetishishing our phones above every other value is incorrect'

Barack Obama today attempted to heal a rift between the technology community and the government, saying the two sides must engage constructively to build technologies that balance individual privacy with the government's obligation to keep people safe.

Addressing a small and enthusiastic audience at the SXSW festival, Obama told the 2,400 festival-goers, technologists, local politicians and media that the American constitution and bill of rights are a system designed to protect the public from government overreach.