Competition is hot across the U.S. as states look to attract industry and human capital fleeing California and other states. The profile of Florida, now America’s third most populous state, is rising for tech investors to park their money, entrepreneurs to start businesses, GenZers to buy a home, and parents to secure an education for their children.
Florida ranks as the world’s 16th largest economy, between Mexico and Indonesia. Not only does Florida’s state government play a critical role to enable this flow with a mix of fiscal policy and incentives for families and enterprise, but it must also ensure the integrity, privacy, and security of government data.
China Tech Threat Co-Founder Dr. Roslyn Layton will join the James Madison Institute (JMI) for a panel discussion on September 15 during their 2022 Tech and Innovation Summit. The panel will explore how state government policies enhance economic and technological security and how to secure networks from Chinese and Russian intrusion.
Dr. Layton will be joined by Florida House Representative Randy Fine, Georgia House Representative Martin Momtahan, and JMI Vice President of Communications Logan Padgett for a discussion on the disconnect between federal and state security efforts and how to address the proliferation of vulnerable Chinese equipment and devices.
Georgia House Representative Martin Momtahan, a self-professed “tech geek”, will describe his bill, now law, to protect Georgia state government networks from Chinese intrusion.
China Tech Threat’s report “Stealing From the States: China’s Power Play in IT Contracts” details the federal-state disconnect. The report compiles state-by-state purchases of technology equipment from risky Chinese information technology providers Lenovo and Lexmark, which have been restricted by U.S. military and intelligence networks for their connections with the Chinese government. Dr. Layton will discuss the risks these findings pose to state, national, and economic security and what Florida lawmakers are doing to stop the use of such risky technology in the sunshine state.