A Chinese spy balloon that entered US airspace earlier this year was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter. The balloon's flight over the US did not appear to provide critical new insights to the Chinese government, but it was still able to capture imagery and collect some signals intelligence from US military sites.
The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in late January before passing through Canada and down into Montana, where it hovered for a few days. The US government took precautions to protect sensitive sites, including censoring some signals that the balloon might be able to pick up. However, China has maintained that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course.
Despite this, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon, and once it was over Montana, China appeared to take advantage of its position to loiter over sensitive sites and try to collect intelligence. The US is still examining the wreckage of the balloon, but so far, officials have been able to glean additional information about how the device worked, including the algorithms used for the balloon's software and how it was powered.
The surveillance program, which includes a number of similar balloons, is run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but sources tell CNN that the program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years. Roughly half a dozen of those flights have been within US airspace.
The incident further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government has not yet determined whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, which raises questions about whether there is intelligence that the balloon was able to gather that the US still doesn't know about.
The US intelligence community has been less concerned about the information the balloon was able to gather, because it is not much more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites are already able to glean. However, the incident highlights the ongoing threat of Chinese espionage and surveillance in the US.
The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in late January before passing through Canada and down into Montana, where it hovered for a few days. The US government took precautions to protect sensitive sites, including censoring some signals that the balloon might be able to pick up. However, China has maintained that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course.
Despite this, officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon, and once it was over Montana, China appeared to take advantage of its position to loiter over sensitive sites and try to collect intelligence. The US is still examining the wreckage of the balloon, but so far, officials have been able to glean additional information about how the device worked, including the algorithms used for the balloon's software and how it was powered.
The surveillance program, which includes a number of similar balloons, is run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but sources tell CNN that the program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years. Roughly half a dozen of those flights have been within US airspace.
The incident further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government has not yet determined whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, which raises questions about whether there is intelligence that the balloon was able to gather that the US still doesn't know about.
The US intelligence community has been less concerned about the information the balloon was able to gather, because it is not much more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites are already able to glean. However, the incident highlights the ongoing threat of Chinese espionage and surveillance in the US.
. So China can just send a balloon into our airspace and get info from our military sites? That's kinda weird. I thought we were supposed to be friends with China, but it sounds like they're sneaky too 
. And now our spies are on high alert, looking for any other surprises. It's like, what if they sent another one? 
I mean, we already know they're watching us on satellites and stuff, so what's the big deal about this balloon?
I don't want to live in a world where our governments are always looking over their shoulders, wondering if someone's sneaking up on them. It's scary 
.
... and we still don't know how many they've got or where they put 'em! It's like, come on China, be honest about what you're doing. We all know it's not just a weather balloon 
. But at the same time, I gotta wonder, is this really worth escalating tensions between us and China? Can't we just talk about it like adults instead of playing hardball 
?
. But now, it's like those balloons are being used for some serious nefarious stuff 
. It's like, we're not even sure if the Chinese government could wipe the data from the balloon or not, which raises all these questions about what kind of intel they might be hiding from us 
. But at the same time, I'm kinda impressed by how sneaky and sophisticated China must be if they can pull off something like this 
.
. They're saying it was just a weather balloon, but I'm not buying it. The fact that China had to go through all the trouble to send it to Alaska and Montana suggests they were trying to get something specific out of it. And what's up with them claiming they didn't know where it went? That's like saying you're surprised when you see a bird flying over your head 
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. And what about the data they wiped? You think China's just gonna magically erase all that intel? Come on! They're hiding something big here...