On October 31, at Sanlitun SOHO in Beijing, someone cosplaying as a Taoist priest was surrounded by six police officers who demanded they take off their cosplay outfit. Police ordered the deletion of phone photos and forbade taking pictures as evidence, while multiple cosers were taken away by plainclothes officers.
On October 31, a citizen dressed as Mario on Julu Road in Shanghai was stopped by police, had their ID registered and was photographed. They were asked which school they attended and were required to contact their parents. Plainclothes officers on the scene stated they had been sent as reinforcements for the day.
During Halloween on October 31, someone in Heping District, Tianjin, dressed up as US President Trump and was interrogated by police.
On the evening of October 31, two women were taken away by police at Jing'an Temple in Shanghai for wearing "strange costumes."
On October 30, near Changle Road and Julu Road in Shanghai, people dressed in Halloween costumes were taken away by police for questioning, required to remove their makeup, register their ID cards, and have their photos taken for records. Outdoor venues such as open-air bars were also strictly prohibited from allowing costumes.
On October 29, the official website of Hongshan College of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics released a tender announcement, planning to purchase a cross-border VPN monitoring system with a budget of 245,000 yuan. The system is required to integrate with internet authentication, link to the real names of faculty and students, and track the number of 'sensitive site visits' per person. The system must be capable of decrypting Shadowsocks traffic and include a real-time dashboard for statistics on circumventing the Great Firewall.
On October 29, a Shenzhen netizen posted that due to APEC security controls, the Evian facial spray they purchased could not be shipped. Multiple netizens reported that scissors, knives, mosquito coils, deodorant sprays, and other items sent to Shenzhen addresses were either refunded by merchants or flagged as being outside the sales area.
Recently a netizen posted that after a phone call with a friend they received a service suspension notice, and the anti-fraud center also called their friend to warn them to be careful with that number. Staff said they may have discussed sensitive words, and that the number had been flagged as impersonating a police officer; after applying to have it lifted, service was still not restored.
On October 27, Zhejiang Pharmaceutical Vocational University published the contract announcement for the procurement project of smart campus data security control equipment. The procurement list included 2 cross-border VPN monitoring devices, priced at 95,000 yuan each, totaling 190,000 yuan.
A Beijing subway volunteer said that on the previous day dozens of passengers at the station where they serve called 12345 to complain about tightened security checks; some passengers, annoyed that even lunch bags had to be inspected, simply carried their glass lunch boxes by hand while riding the subway.
In accordance with the requirements of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Finance, Nantong University and Yangzhou University have notified staff on the payroll and personnel-agency personnel that their salaries will be disbursed through digital RMB wallets starting November 2026. Personnel must open or upgrade their wallets within the prescribed deadline, with Nantong University requiring completion before October 30.
On October 26, the Student Affairs Department of Hubei University of Education issued a notice requiring all students to sign the "2026 Cybersecurity Commitment Letter" through the student affairs system, to self-check overseas app accounts such as Twitter and overseas game servers. Those confirmed to have circumvented the Great Firewall will face circulated criticism and disciplinary action, and serious cases will be handed over to the police and state security.
Recently, three “personal recreation” flight applications submitted by a drone hobbyist in Xiamen were all denied approval. He said that in the past, applications to fly at Guanyinshan Beach were basically approved, but now they are not approved at all, leaving five drones forced to sit idle.
It is circulating online that the National University of Defense Technology is carrying out an "information cleanup," strictly investigating the use of circumventing the Great Firewall and foreign tools, requiring computers and cabinets to be checked person by person and room by room, emphasizing that "there must be no doors that cannot be opened," and that any discovered problem will result in a one-vote veto.
The "2026 Shandong Province Public Security Organ Civil Service Examination Recruitment Brochure (People's Police)" stipulates that those who have studied, worked, or lived abroad (outside the country/region) for six consecutive months or more, and whose relevant experience and political performance are difficult to examine, may not apply for people's police positions in public security organs. Netizens say that having an entry-exit record of Taiwan basically means saying goodbye to 90% of civil service jobs.