BRUSSELS, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. House Judiciary Chair

Jim Jordan and Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast warned Britain

on Wednesday that its order to Apple ( AAPL ) to create a

backdoor to its encrypted user data could be exploited by

cybercriminals and authoritarian regimes.

Apple ( AAPL ), which has said it would never build a so-called back

door into its encrypted services or devices, has challenged the

order at the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).

The iPhone maker withdrew its Advanced Data Protection

feature for UK users in February following the UK order. Users

of Apple's ( AAPL ) iPhones, Macs and other devices can enable the

feature to ensure that only they - and not even Apple ( AAPL ) - can

unlock data stored on its cloud.

"Creating a backdoor into end-to-end encrypted systems, as

the TCN does, introduces systemic vulnerabilities that can be

exploited by malicious actors, including cybercriminals and

authoritarian regimes," Jordan and Mast wrote in a joint letter

to Britain's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

TCN (Technical Capability Notice) refers to the UK order.

"These vulnerabilities would not only affect UK users but

also American citizens and others worldwide, given the global

nature of Apple's ( AAPL ) services," they said.

They urged Cooper to allow Apple ( AAPL ) to disclose the existence

of the order to the U.S. Department of Justice so it can

evaluate whether it complies with the U.S.-UK agreement made

under the CLOUD Act which prohibits orders requiring companies

to decrypt data.

Under UK laws, American companies would commit a criminal

offence if they disclose or confirm such an order, even to their

home government.

"We urge the Home Office to reconsider the issuance of TCNs

that require the weakening of encryption, as such measures

conflict with international human rights standards, including

the European Court of Human Rights' ruling that undermining

encryption violates privacy rights," the lawmakers said.

Britain's Home Office has said a warrant would be needed for

any individual's data to be accessed.