US Spy Balloon Able to Transmit Info to Beijing, Officials Say
A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year was able to send sensitive information back to Beijing in real-time. According to a source familiar with the matter, the high-altitude surveillance balloon captured imagery and signals intelligence from US military sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
Despite claims by China that the balloon was just a weather balloon that strayed off course, officials believe that it was deliberately maneuvered into the continental United States. The balloon was shot down off the East Coast on February 4, but not before it had spent several days hovering over sensitive sites and attempting to collect intelligence.
US officials say they are still unsure whether China has deleted any data from the balloon's systems before it crashed. This raises questions about how much information the US may have lost due to the Chinese government's alleged interference with the device's communications.
Despite concerns, the US intelligence community does not believe that the Chinese spy balloon posed a significant threat to national security. The balloon's flight over the United States did not provide any new insights to China, according to a senior US official.
However, the incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing in terms of surveillance and espionage. Chinese satellites have long been able to gather information from orbit over similar locations as the US military sites targeted by the spy balloon.
The use of balloons as a tool for surveillance is part of a broader program run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, officials told CNN. The program has conducted at least two dozen missions in recent years and roughly half a dozen have been within US airspace.
China claims that it was not deliberately trying to spy on the United States, but rather its balloon had strayed off course due to weather conditions. However, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon and take advantage of its position to collect intelligence over sensitive sites.
The incident has sparked a renewed debate about US counter-surveillance capabilities in the face of an increasingly hostile Chinese military.
A Chinese spy balloon that flew over the United States earlier this year was able to send sensitive information back to Beijing in real-time. According to a source familiar with the matter, the high-altitude surveillance balloon captured imagery and signals intelligence from US military sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
Despite claims by China that the balloon was just a weather balloon that strayed off course, officials believe that it was deliberately maneuvered into the continental United States. The balloon was shot down off the East Coast on February 4, but not before it had spent several days hovering over sensitive sites and attempting to collect intelligence.
US officials say they are still unsure whether China has deleted any data from the balloon's systems before it crashed. This raises questions about how much information the US may have lost due to the Chinese government's alleged interference with the device's communications.
Despite concerns, the US intelligence community does not believe that the Chinese spy balloon posed a significant threat to national security. The balloon's flight over the United States did not provide any new insights to China, according to a senior US official.
However, the incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Washington and Beijing in terms of surveillance and espionage. Chinese satellites have long been able to gather information from orbit over similar locations as the US military sites targeted by the spy balloon.
The use of balloons as a tool for surveillance is part of a broader program run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, officials told CNN. The program has conducted at least two dozen missions in recent years and roughly half a dozen have been within US airspace.
China claims that it was not deliberately trying to spy on the United States, but rather its balloon had strayed off course due to weather conditions. However, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon and take advantage of its position to collect intelligence over sensitive sites.
The incident has sparked a renewed debate about US counter-surveillance capabilities in the face of an increasingly hostile Chinese military.
. Like, I know China says it was just a weather balloon that went rogue, but come on... that's not buying it 
. And now we're talking about how much info the US might have lost because of their alleged interference with the device's comms? That's just wild 
. On one hand, I get why they'd be worried - China's been doing some shady stuff in the spy game for a while now 
. But on the other hand, it does seem like we're living in a pretty high-stakes game of cat and mouse here 
. Can't say I'm surprised that US counter-surveillance capabilities are getting a bump-up, though - gotta stay one step ahead of those Chinese satellites 
️.
this whole thing is super concerning, you know? I mean, we're already talking about the surveillance state getting more and more out of control and now it seems like China's been toying with us too... 
like what even is the point of having a spy balloon if you're just going to send it on a joyride over the States without any real threat? 
it's not like we haven't known about Chinese espionage for ages, but this takes it to a whole new level. 
and now the US military is supposed to be scrambling around trying to figure out how much intel they lost because of China messing with their balloon... 
meanwhile, our own government is just kinda standing there like "meh, we've got this under control"... 
not buying it! 
they know exactly wut they r doin! its like, hello, u r sendin out these high-altitude spy blimps over sensitive sites in the US? that's not a coincidence fam 
but let's be real, its not like it was a game-changer for them or anythin' 
meanwhile, our own spy satellites are basically just sitting ducks in orbit...
...and what if china did delete any data from the balloon before it crashed? we could be missing out on some crucial intel 
...anyway, this incident is just another reminder of how tense things are between us and china right now 
...we need to stay vigilant and upgrade our counter-surveillance capabilities ASAP 
. anyway, this whole incident is like a big game of cat and mouse between us and china in terms of surveillance and espionage. can we really trust anyone when it comes to intel gathering? 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this, but it's like China is just openly flaunting their spy game 
. And we're just sitting here wondering what they might've learned from the thing 
.
. It's not like we haven't seen this before - those Chinese balloons have been popping up all over the place for years now 
.
. We can't just sit back and let them walk all over us without pushing back 
! 
