Recently, readers who connected to the public Wi-Fi inside the Hunan Library and used VPN software to access overseas websites had their mobile phone numbers disclosed by the library and recorded by the cyberspace administration.
On July 21st, the Hunan Library announced that recently, readers who connected to the library’s public Wi-Fi and used VPN software to access overseas websites caused abnormal traffic and were recorded by the cyberspace administration.
The library also released the “de-identified” phone numbers of three readers. Chinese phone numbers have a total of 11 digits, and the announcement showed that the middle four digits of the phone numbers of the three readers were hidden (only the first three and last four digits were displayed).
In addition, the Hunan Library stated that starting from July 22, 2026, the public Wi-Fi in the library will be temporarily shut down for rectification.
Currently, mainland Chinese media have rarely reported on this sensitive topic. On the social platform X, netizens criticized the Chinese Communist Party for deceiving the people and blocking information.
Netizens said, “There is always an eye watching you.” “Its core purpose has never been just to punish those three ‘violators’, but to incite mutual harm among the lower class. The most classic Chinese-style ‘guilt by association’, using the method of depriving everyone of living space to let the 99% who have been cut off from the internet spontaneously hate and monitor the 1% who try to bring down the walls.”
“They think that by closing the door, they can solve all the problems, but they are only admitting to everyone how scared they really are.” “Absolutely cannot use VPN, as soon as you VPN and discover the history of the Communist Party, you will be labeled as a ‘traitor’.”
This incident has sparked heated discussions among Chinese netizens, reflecting a deep-seated concern about internet censorship and surveillance policies in the country.