Recently, the National Security Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has issued two consecutive notifications regarding “Live Broadcast from Seaside Homes Revealing Military Port Dynamics” and “Overseas Attacks on High Schools’ Networks,” claiming that national security is under threat and stating that relevant individuals have been dealt with. However, both notifications did not disclose specific times, locations, individuals involved, or details of the incidents, leaving the content vague and making it difficult for the public to assess the authenticity of the events.
According to Epoch Times’ statistics, from January to early July, the CCP’s National Security Department has issued at least 10 similar anti-spy or security alerts, prompting internet users to mock the department for becoming more like a propaganda department.
On July 5th, the CCP’s National Security Department WeChat public account reported that a real estate developer had exposed the dynamics of several warships in “dozens of live broadcasts over two and a half months.” However, the notification did not specify the location, the identity of the developer involved, the platform used, or the leaked information.
Some netizens believe that the release of such highly generalized information lacking transparency and credibility makes it difficult for the public to assess the seriousness of the events and the reasonableness of the official response.
Lu Zhiqiang (pseudonym), a network researcher at a university in Guangxi, interviewed by Epoch Times on July 8th, believes that the CCP’s closure of the WeChat video comment section demonstrates the authorities’ high sensitivity to information control, even at the expense of public discussion space. “The CCP’s approach not only hinders the public from providing genuine feedback on national security issues but also diminishes citizens’ rightful expression rights in the information society. Moreover, I think there is an element of storytelling involved.”
Lu Zhiqiang added that in recent years, the CCP’s security agencies have often issued warnings that are difficult to distinguish between true and false. “The so-called ‘Leakage of Military Port Data through Seaside Home Livestreams’ sounds absurd. Nowadays, foreign military satellites can achieve imaging precision of less than one meter, so what can a citizen see looking out of a window? By shutting down the comment section, they are simply afraid of being exposed by netizens and questioned.”
On July 7th, the CCP’s National Security Department released a video through WeChat Video Channel, claiming that a foreign anti-China hostile organization was trying to invade a high school’s network broadcasting system through overseas networks as a springboard, and altering the broadcast content. A virtual police officer in the video stated that the organization had launched massive, high-frequency, and continuous attacks. However, the official did not disclose the attack methods, the name of the affected school, the protective measures, making it difficult to confirm the authenticity of the incident, and as usual, the comment section was closed.
Beijing independent online commentator Ji Guangyuan (pseudonym) stated during the interview that since the official implementation of the “Anti-Spy Law” on July 1, 2023, the authorities have launched a wave of “anti-spy” propaganda in the civilian sector, encouraging reporting of foreign spies, and repeatedly arresting foreign company personnel on grounds of national security, with the actual purpose being more political propaganda.
“After 2023, (the CCP authorities) caught many so-called Japanese spies and South Korean spies, causing consulting companies operating in China to close, with the aim being to strengthen political propaganda and civilian vigilance, creating an atmosphere of ‘foreign forces harboring ill intentions towards us’ to promote ‘patriotic education’,” he said.
Ji Guangyuan pointed out that since the beginning of this year, the CCP’s National Security Department has continued to issue notifications related to “anti-spy” and “anti-infiltration,” essentially creating a divide between ordinary people and Western society. “For example, during the Chinese New Year, official reminders to tourists encountering overseas law enforcement agencies to ‘cooperate’ should be refused, not to sign any documents, and even to contact the CCP embassy. Such reminders seem more like a ‘pre-set hostility’ towards the outside world.”
By checking the records of the CCP’s National Security Department’s WeChat and Weibo public accounts from January to early July, at least 10 security alerts have been issued. On January 7th: Warning of possible disguises by foreign spies on the internet to target infiltration objectives; January 16th: Public officials, research institution staff, and university faculty and students are key “hunting targets”; January 18th: Alerting that foreign spies implant Trojan horses through malicious links, QR codes, or disguised applications; January 22nd: Safety tips for Chinese New Year outbound travelers; February 5th: Reminding returning workers to handle confidential documents properly after the end of the Chinese New Year holiday; April 25th: Stating that some units have unprotected remote maintenance ports leading to infiltration; May 6th: Warning of possible eavesdropping or remote control in the context of popularizing smart homes; May 19th: Alerting that some media outlets use “anti-spy breakthroughs” as a reason to hype information, possibly due to mass account operations; early July two more “national security warnings” were issued.
Furthermore, from August to December last year, the CCP’s National Security Department also successively released notifications stating that foreign spy agencies posed threats to China through social platforms, navy operations, idle equipment attacks, crowdsourced espionage, and other means.
Some netizens ridicule that the CCP’s National Security agencies, originally secretive frontline organizations, now frequently appear in the public opinion space, transforming into a “National Security Propaganda Department.”