A large number of so-called "country-of-origin washing" advertisements have recently appeared on Chinese social media platforms Xiaohongshu and Douyin. (Screenshot from Douyin)
[People News] According to the latest internal information and related reports from April 2026, the ministries have recently enacted what is being referred to as the 'most severe' mobile phone and security ban ever. They have issued strict notifications stating that employees are prohibited from bringing any mobile phones into the office area, and terminal devices such as printers must not be directly connected to the internet. The level of control has been described as 'the strictest in ten years.' This new wave of bans not only continues the restrictions on foreign brand mobile phones (such as the iPhone) but also escalates the control from 'brand restrictions' to 'physical isolation.' This move may be linked to a recent incident involving the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin (NSCC), which reportedly experienced a hacker intrusion that led to the leakage of a significant amount of confidential data.
Both foreign and domestic mobile phone brands are being banned.
An insider, Shen Hang (pseudonym), disclosed to The Epoch Times that the new regulations are no longer limited to foreign brand mobile phones but are now implementing 'full brand, full physical' isolation.
Before entering the office building, civil servants are required to turn off their mobile phones or set them to silent mode, and they must store their devices in electronic shielding cabinets located at the entrance. To prevent situations where an employee might store one phone and carry another, various units have added a 'double-check' step, requiring employees to verify whether they are carrying a second mobile phone. Additionally, within the office area, employees are mandated to communicate using landline phones.
Another Mr Sun from a core sensitive department confirmed that the security level for the foreign affairs and national defence departments has been elevated, and mobile phone signal detection equipment has been installed. He stated, "It has been repeatedly emphasised from above that handling internal affairs must be conducted with 'disconnected network' operations. Some highly sensitive computers are not even allowed to connect to the internal local area network and can only operate on completely isolated standalone machines."
The mobile phone ban has reached its strictest level in a decade.
Reports indicate that many government departments have recently begun to implement the requirements set by the Cyberspace Administration, initiating a new round of cybersecurity training focused on identifying phishing emails and restricting VPN usage.
In response to these stringent measures, a retired civil servant told reporters that while security precautions have always been in place, the current enforcement is noticeably stronger. He remarked, "Ten years ago, there was a rule against using Apple phones in the office, which was later relaxed for a time. This time, not only has the ban been reinstated, but domestic phones have also been included, requiring them to be stored uniformly at the entrance. This indicates that the higher-ups' vigilance against 'insiders' and 'technical vulnerabilities' is increasing."
Shen Hang added that previously, some departments only restricted foreign brand phones, but now domestic phones are also viewed as a risk source. "Domestic phones use the Android system or self-developed systems, which may still be vulnerable to external exploitation at the underlying level. Additionally, due to the sensor functions of the phones themselves, it is challenging to completely prevent this, so they have simply decided not to allow them inside."
The leak case at the Chinese Communist Party Supercomputing Centre is suspected to have triggered the 'mobile phone ban'.
Nanjing network engineer Zhu Quan analysed in an interview that the actions taken by the Chinese Communist Party are related to the recent leak incident at the supercomputing centre.
According to information disclosed from abroad, the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin (NSCC) under the Chinese Communist Party has reportedly experienced a significant cyber intrusion, with leaked data estimated to reach 10PB (around 10 million GB). This data includes critical technical materials related to missile design, aerospace, and nuclear fusion simulations. While there has been no official comment, Zhu Quan suggests that such a large-scale data breach may involve internal assistance.
Zhu Quan explained that the supercomputing centre is equipped with multiple authentication and alarm systems, making direct breaches from outside quite challenging. However, if an employee's mobile phone is compromised with malware, its camera, microphone, and sensors could be exploited, effectively turning the device into a tool for gathering information. Hackers can use the phone as a launchpad to intervene in the system when personnel access internal data or perform physical transfers. Even everyday communications could be stitched together to form valuable information."
At present, the measures being taken are not confined to the ministry system. Government departments and telecommunications companies in regions such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shaanxi have recently issued notifications requiring businesses to report and seek approval for cross-border internet connections, and they have begun to clean up "violating cross-border data dedicated lines."
Zhu Quan noted that authorities are tightening various external connection routes, expressing concerns not only about potential vulnerabilities in external VPNs but also about internal personnel using foreign tools. As a result, they are comprehensively restricting unauthorised cross-border connections in an effort to minimise the risk of data leakage.
In light of these developments, Epoch Times reporters previously contacted the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin for confirmation, but as of the time of publication, no response has been received.
Analysts suggest that the recent total ban on bringing mobile phones into office areas serves not only as an enhancement of security measures but also indicates a marked increase in the Chinese Communist Party's internal awareness of the risks associated with data leaks.△
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