On February 5, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the formation of the “Consumer Harm from International Nefarious Actors” (CHINA) Prevention Unit. The new unit will operate within the Florida Office of the Attorney General and focus on investigating and prosecuting foreign corporations, especially those with links to countries considered “foreign adversaries,” such as China, that collect sensitive data from residents in Florida.
The CHINA Prevention Unit’s role is to use state laws like the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and privacy statutes to address risks related to foreign exploitation through data collection. The unit is intended to be both preventative and enforcement-focused. It will require transparency from companies operating in Florida that have ownership or ties to China or other nations of concern.
The attorney general has already taken initial steps that highlight his priorities for enforcement under this new initiative. These actions suggest that the CHINA Prevention Unit plans to apply a range of state laws—including consumer protection, privacy regulations, sector-specific rules, and public contracting provisions—to meet its goals around transparency and remediation.
Florida’s establishment of this unit signals a shift toward more active state-level involvement in matters previously handled at the federal level. Regulatory oversight concerning data practices by companies with connections to foreign governments is now becoming a local issue in Florida.
“This development marks a growing trend in state-level enforcement, moving beyond traditional consumer protection into the realms of national security and data sovereignty,” according to the announcement.
If individuals or organizations have questions about how these changes might impact compliance requirements or if they receive inquiries from the attorney general’s office regarding these issues, they are encouraged to seek legal advice.
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