Since the establishment of the 12339 hotline for reporting national security concerns, the general public has actively reported suspicious activities that may threaten the safety of our nation. This has significantly assisted national security agencies in identifying, preventing, stopping, and penalizing various national security threats. However, there have also been instances where individuals have made false claims, disrupting the normal operation of these agencies.

**Vigilance Rewarded**

During a national security awareness campaign, fisherman Amin learned about the dangers posed by foreign ocean surveillance devices to our national security. Shocked by this information, he realized that, despite having seen similar unknown devices during his years at sea, he had never considered their potential threat to the nation’s safety. Determined to be more vigilant in the future, Amin promised himself to keep a close watch on any suspicious equipment.

Shortly after, while on a nearshore voyage, Amin spotted a suspicious floating object. This time, he seized the opportunity; he quickly retrieved the object and reported the details through the 12339 hotline. Upon inspection, authorities confirmed that the floating object was a data collection device placed in our waters by a foreign agency, capable of gathering sensitive information and transmitting it to offshore servers, thus posing a significant risk to our national security.

To honor Amin’s proactive stance in safeguarding national security, local authorities awarded him a certificate of appreciation and a monetary bonus as encouragement, in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

**Malicious Reporting Addressed**

On another occasion, an individual named Li called the 12339 hotline to report that an employee of his seed company, Chen, had returned from studying abroad and allegedly stolen “precious seeds” from the company to smuggle them overseas, raising suspicions of espionage.

National security officials took Li’s report seriously and promptly initiated an investigation. However, the findings contradicted Li’s claims. It was revealed that Chen had no foreign ties and had not smuggled any seeds out of the country. Furthermore, Li’s assertion that the “precious seeds” were developed using nuclear fission technology with cancer-fighting properties turned out to be entirely fabricated.

In reality, Li had experienced financial disputes with Chen and sought to use national security authorities to undermine Chen’s reputation, resulting in false accusations. His malicious actions severely disrupted the normal activities of national security agencies, leading to appropriate legal consequences.

**Advice from National Security Authorities**

National security agencies encourage genuine reports while taking legal action against malicious allegations. According to Article 8 of the “Regulations on Rewards for Reporting Actions that Harm National Security,” individuals must meet specific criteria to qualify for reporting rewards. These include having a clear target or concrete clues about national security threats, the information not previously known to national security agencies, and providing details that contribute to addressing the security issue.

Article 21 of the same regulations outlines the penalties for individuals who engage in malicious reporting, including deliberate false accusations, fraud to obtain rewards, creating disturbances under the guise of reporting, and leaking classified information derived from their reports, leading to negative consequences.

Every citizen has a duty and responsibility to protect national security. Article 16 of the Anti-Espionage Law of the People’s Republic of China mandates that any citizen or organization who discovers espionage activities must promptly report them to national security agencies. Citizens who notice illegal activities or suspicious leads that could threaten national security are encouraged to use the 12339 hotline, the online reporting platform (www.12339.gov.cn), the WeChat official account for the Ministry of National Security, or direct communication with local national security authorities.