WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — During a stop in Palm Beach County on Thursday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the creation of a specialized unit to investigate companies allegedly sharing consumer data with China, marking the first state-level task force of its kind in the nation.
The "Consumer Harm from International Nefarious Actors Prevention Unit," also known as the "China Prevention Unit," will focus on protecting Floridians' personal data and privacy from foreign adversaries, Uthmeier said during a press conference in West Palm Beach.
WATCH BELOW: New Florida task force targets 'international nefarious actors'
"We have grave concerns over the data privacy or lack thereof," Uthmeier said. "We will be investigating and hope to have some conclusions and legal finalities. Florida will not be a playground for our enemies to come in and do us harm."
The task force is already investigating companies accused of sharing consumer data overseas, including makers of medical devices Uthmeier said subpoenas have been issued to several China-based companies, including retail giant Shein, which reported more than $30 billion in sales in 2023.
In a statement to WPTV, a SHEIN spokesperson told us they are fully complying with Uthmeier's requests.
"At SHEIN, we share Attorney General Uthmeier’s commitment to online safety and privacy. We have implemented robust controls to protect our customers and their information, responsibly collecting only the minimum data necessary to process customer orders and help shoppers find products relevant to their personal style and needs. We welcome the opportunity to engage with Attorney General Uthmeier’s office and to share more about the steps we take every day to safeguard the personal information of Floridians and all of our customers."
Our office is taking action to protect Floridians’ personal information from the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign adversaries. pic.twitter.com/vEC0Bi3QZX
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) February 5, 2026
The unit will repurpose existing staff within the attorney general's office to work full-time on investigations targeting companies across all industries, with health care identified as a primary focus due to the sensitive nature of personal health data.
Over the past six months, Florida has launched investigations into multiple companies with alleged Chinese connections. These include Lorex, a security camera company suspected of funneling personal data and imagery to China, and Contec Medical Systems for allegedly routing sensitive patient monitoring data through Chinese servers.
The state has also investigated TP-Link for foreign-manufactured networking equipment and data security risks, which the company fiercely refuted in a statement to us, reading,
"We are cooperating with the Florida Attorney General’s office, and we are confident the Attorney General’s review will conclude there are no risks to national security because TP-Link is an independent American company. We want to be clear: any suggestion that we are subject to foreign control or pose a national security risk is categorically false.
To ensure the strongest protection for our users, our core security operations and infrastructure are located right here in the United States. All U.S. user data is stored securely on Amazon Web Services servers in Virginia and managed exclusively by our U.S. team. We develop software under American oversight and work with U.S. experts to rigorously test for any vulnerabilities.
We’re proud to be a signatory of the U.S. government’s “Secure by Design” pledge and to serve millions of American families who trust us for secure, reliable home connectivity."
Recent enforcement actions resulted in recovering more than $23,000 stolen by a Chinese national from an active duty U.S. service member and seizing over $1.5 million in cryptocurrency stolen from a Floridian by a Chinese national.
Uthmeier said letters are being sent to health tech companies demanding proof they're following Florida data privacy laws, with subpoenas possible if companies fail to cooperate.
Ambassador Kelly Curry, an advisor with State Armor who joined the announcement, praised Florida's leadership in addressing what she called "the pacing threat for the United States."
"Today's announcement is the first in the country of its kind, where you have a dedicated unit to protect Floridians and the people who reside, work and do business in this state from this threat," Curry said.
Today, we sent a letter to Mindray North America demanding an audit and disclosure of the company’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) February 5, 2026
As part of our office’s proactive efforts to protect Floridians’ personal information, we will also be demanding audits from United Imaging,… pic.twitter.com/eB9cCOHRUf
Curry described Chinese-connected scams as part of a "$50 billion a year, global industry that is primarily run on a backbone of Chinese transnational criminal organizations that are connected to the Chinese Communist Party state."
The announcement comes as Florida continues broader efforts to counter foreign adversaries. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld Florida's prohibition on Chinese land purchasing, preventing foreign adversaries from owning farmland or sensitive land near military bases.
Shein and other companies named in the investigation have not yet responded to the Attorney General's claims.
The task force represents Florida's latest effort to eliminate state government reliance on technology that could expose sensitive data to foreign enemies, building on previous initiatives under Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration.
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