ScriptSwan
Well-known member
US Spy Balloon's Data Transmitted Back to Beijing in Real Time, Officials Say
A US spy balloon that flew over the country earlier this year was able to capture imagery and collect signals intelligence from US military sites. The balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time, according to a source familiar with the matter.
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 believed at the time that the balloon was trying to surveil sensitive military sites, such as Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
However, officials have since learned that the balloon was able to capture imagery and collect signals intelligence from these sites. It is unclear how much information the balloon actually gathered, however, as it is not known whether China was able to wipe the data as it received it.
The US government has been aware of a surveillance program run by China that includes balloons like the one that flew over the country. The program is believed to be based in the small Chinese province of Hainan and has conducted at least two dozen missions over five continents in recent years.
Roughly half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory. China has maintained that the balloon was actually just a weather balloon thrown off course, but officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon.
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 is still assessing the possibility that the balloon was deliberately maneuvered into the continental US by the Chinese government.
A US spy balloon that flew over the country earlier this year was able to capture imagery and collect signals intelligence from US military sites. The balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time, according to a source familiar with the matter.
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 believed at the time that the balloon was trying to surveil sensitive military sites, such as Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
However, officials have since learned that the balloon was able to capture imagery and collect signals intelligence from these sites. It is unclear how much information the balloon actually gathered, however, as it is not known whether China was able to wipe the data as it received it.
The US government has been aware of a surveillance program run by China that includes balloons like the one that flew over the country. The program is believed to be based in the small Chinese province of Hainan and has conducted at least two dozen missions over five continents in recent years.
Roughly half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory. China has maintained that the balloon was actually just a weather balloon thrown off course, but officials believe that China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon.
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 is still assessing the possibility that the balloon was deliberately maneuvered into the continental US by the Chinese government.
Like what even is going on with these spy balloons?? They're like, basically flying around our country collecting secrets from top-secret military sites without anyone knowing and China just casually waves it off like "oh yeah we threw this weather balloon off course" 
like no one believes that. 
I mean what's the point of even having a spy program if you can't keep your cards close to your chest? And now it's like we're living in some spy thriller movie where everything is a cat and mouse game between our government and China. 
I mean what's next? Are they gonna cancel the whole relationship with China or just keep it on hold until we figure out who's behind all these sneaky spy missions?
they've been doing it for years and we're just now finding out about it? i mean i get it, intel is intel but still it's pretty shady 
how did we not know about this program until now? seems like our gov needs to step up its game on counter-surveillance 
we need to be more aware of our surroundings and stuff, idk if anyone even knows how many chinese spy balloons are flying around the world right now 
this is getting crazy... like, who needs that much surveillance in our skies? 
a spy balloon just cruising around collecting signals intel from our military sites? what's next, drones monitoring our backyard? 
and now they're saying it was transmitting data back to Beijing in real-time?! 
that's some serious level of intrusion... the fact that China is doing this on repeat, like, twice a month, five continents over... it's like they're trying to keep tabs on us 24/7 
and our gov just shrugs it off? 
at least we know where the problem lies now... Hainan province, China... that's some bad vibes right there 
like, what's next? 
they're basically flying around above our heads collecting secrets and we have no idea what's going on 
is it just gonna be one of those 'we can't confirm' situations where we all just pretend like nothing happened 
I'm not surprised though, all countries need to stay one step ahead in terms of national security. But still, it's major league weird that they could transmit data back to Beijing in real-time 
. I mean, what if the Chinese government was able to intercept sensitive military info? That would be a major game-changer 
. And can you believe Antony Blinken had to postpone his visit because of this?! 
.
It just feels like we're caught in this game of espionage and neither side is showing any restraint... 
. And what's up with all these flights over US airspace? It's like they're trying to test the waters or something 
. Anyway, hope our government can get to the bottom of this and take some action 
. Don't want to see us getting played like that 
. By the way, have you guys ever used those apps that block tracking cookies on your phone? Like, totally useful for online security 
.
. And now, Antony Blinken can't even visit China without all this drama breaking out... what's next?
.
I mean, I get it, they're trying to gather intel, but come on! We have satellites and radar for that stuff. And now they're all like "oh, it was just a weather balloon"... lol what a cop-out 
. We should've taken this stuff seriously years ago 
anyway, this whole thing does kinda make you wonder how much our governments are sharing info about each other's spy operations... 
We're basically just letting China get a free pass to snoop around our military bases. And now we know they've been doing it for years, like it's some kind of routine thing. This is getting out of hand. I'm not saying we need to go nuclear or anything (although that's definitely an option), but can't we just take a stand and make China stop this nonsense? 
And what's up with the weather balloon cover story? That's like trying to pass off a snake in a suit as just a harmless rodent. 
We need some serious action here, like expelling all their diplomats or something. This is a major security breach and it's time someone took responsibility for it.
anyway its no wonder tensions are high between the two countries now we cant even trust what we think we know about each other's motives 
i wish they would just tell us the truth lol