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Florida AG Launches 'CHINA' Data-Privacy Unit, Issues Subpoenas to Shein

The new team targets suspected overseas sharing of Floridians’ data by China-linked firms, elevating health privacy as a top risk.

Overview

  • Attorney General James Uthmeier unveiled the Consumer Harm from International Nefarious Actors Prevention Unit and assigned existing staff to work on it full time.
  • Uthmeier said subpoenas have gone to several China-based companies, including fast-fashion retailer Shein, as part of ongoing consumer data investigations.
  • Demand letters are being sent to health-tech and other companies to verify compliance with Florida data privacy laws, with subpoenas promised for noncooperation.
  • Active probes include Lorex, TP-Link, and Contec over alleged data security risks and routing of personal or patient information through Chinese servers.
  • Supporters described the effort as the first state unit of its kind and tied it to broader policy moves, including SB 1178’s advance and a court-upheld ban on Chinese land purchases, while some sensational biological claims at the event were reported without evidence.