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Attorney General Eric Holder said phones should protect security but also still allow for law enforcement access.

Apple and Google are beefing up security in their next-gen mobile operating systems and the move has law enforcement officials scrambling.

Shortly after FBI Director James Comey told reporters that he is "very concerned" about plans for encryption in iOS and Android, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder echoed those sentiments during a speech before the Global Alliance Conference Against Child Sexual Abuse Online.

Holder is concerned that encryption technology rolling out on iOS 8 and Android L - which is meant to protect users' personal information - could also provide a safe haven for criminals since firms like Google and Apple will have a limited ability to turn over data stored on devices to law enforcement officials.

"It is fully possible to permit law enforcement to do its job while still adequately protecting personal privacy," Holder said.

Holder praised the efforts of tech giants to combat online sexual predators - like a Google database that makes it easier for organizations to report and remove images of child sexual abuse from the Web. Still, "we would hope that technology companies would be willing to work with us to ensure that law enforcement retains the ability, with court authorization, to lawfully obtain information in the course of an investigation, such as catching kidnappers and sexual predators."

"When a child is in danger, law enforcement needs to be able to take every legally available step to quickly find and protect the child and to stop those that abuse children," Holder continued. "It is worrisome to see companies thwarting our ability to do so."

Tech company efforts to beef up security, however, come largely in response to last year's Edward Snowden data leaks, which reported widespread government spying on the Web and mobile.

Cupertino's new iOS 8 no longer allows user passwords to be bypassedmeaning neither the police nor Genius Bar employees can circumvent the built-in security system. "So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8," the Apple's website said.

Google has also confirmed that the next-gen Android L OS will encrypt by default. Previously, users had to turn it on themselves.

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Holder: iOS, Android Encryption Is 'Worrisome'