A Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter. The US military had tracked the balloon's path and taken precautions to protect sensitive sites, including censoring signals before they could be intercepted by the balloon.
The incident highlights the sophistication of China's surveillance capabilities, which include a network of balloons operating across the globe under the control of the Chinese military. While the exact size of the fleet is unknown, sources indicate that at least two dozen missions have been conducted over five continents in recent years, with roughly half a dozen of those flights entering US airspace.
The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in January and passed through Canada before heading south to Montana, where it hovered for several days. The US shot down the balloon off the East Coast on February 4, but not before it had transmitted information back to Beijing.
While China has claimed that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course, officials believe that some ability to maneuver the device remains. Once over Montana, China appeared to take advantage of its position to loiter over sensitive sites and collect intelligence.
The incident has heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government still does not know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, raising questions about whether there is intelligence the balloon was able to gather that the US still doesn't know about.
Despite this, the intelligence community has been less concerned about the information gathered by the balloon due to its relatively limited sophistication compared to what Chinese satellites are already capable of gathering.
The incident highlights the sophistication of China's surveillance capabilities, which include a network of balloons operating across the globe under the control of the Chinese military. While the exact size of the fleet is unknown, sources indicate that at least two dozen missions have been conducted over five continents in recent years, with roughly half a dozen of those flights entering US airspace.
The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in January and passed through Canada before heading south to Montana, where it hovered for several days. The US shot down the balloon off the East Coast on February 4, but not before it had transmitted information back to Beijing.
While China has claimed that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course, officials believe that some ability to maneuver the device remains. Once over Montana, China appeared to take advantage of its position to loiter over sensitive sites and collect intelligence.
The incident has heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. The US government still does not know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloon's data as it received it, raising questions about whether there is intelligence the balloon was able to gather that the US still doesn't know about.
Despite this, the intelligence community has been less concerned about the information gathered by the balloon due to its relatively limited sophistication compared to what Chinese satellites are already capable of gathering.
. I mean, we're already living in a world where spy balloons can transmit info back to China in real-time... it's like something out of a Bond movie, but not the good kind 
. The fact that they were able to just loiter over sensitive sites and collect intel without us knowing is wild 
.
. I mean, we're still trying to figure out if our own systems are secure, let alone the rest of the world 
. And what's even more concerning is that we don't know for sure whether they wiped the data from the balloon or not... it's like, did we miss something huge? 
. We're living in a world where espionage and surveillance are just part of the game, and it's hard to know who's watching who 
. It's going to take some serious diplomatic effort to get us out of this mess 
.
And China's got this whole network of them floating around everywhere? 
How did we even not catch this one?! 
. Like, who knew they had this level of tech? It's crazy how sophisticated their surveillance capabilities must be to track and transmit info back to Beijing in real-time 
. And I get it, US military can't just sit idly by, but still... all these balloons flying around collecting intel? 
. Anyway, this whole thing has got everyone on edge - from Washington to Beijing... and honestly, I don't blame 'em. There's something unsettling about knowing our info is being collected by someone else's spy tech 
.
they're basically like little surveillance drones, and they can even transmit info back to beijing in real-time 
it's wild how advanced their tech is, especially compared to their satellites which are already super capable. but i guess that's what happens when you've got a country with a huge budget for defense 
the us military was able to track the balloon and take precautions, but they're still not entirely sure if china can wipe the data from the balloon or if there's intel out there that we don't know about yet 
It's like they're trying to cover their tracks. And all this secrecy about what kinda data the balloon was transmitting? Sounds fishy to me 
. I'm not saying it wasn't a legitimate weather balloon, but let's keep an open mind here. The fact that we don't know for sure whether China could've wiped the data and gotten away with it raises some serious red flags 
. And what about all those balloons flying around the globe? It's like China's got some kinda surveillance net up 
️.
. Coincidence? I think not! The US government's trying to keep something under wraps, and it's probably related to what this balloon was able to gather 
.
. That's what's got my radar going off 
.
The fact that they could transmit information back to Beijing in real-time highlights the sophistication of their systems.
Ultimately, as the global balance of power shifts, we need to be vigilant and proactive in addressing these emerging threats. 
. and btw, can we talk about how embarrassing it is for china to claim it was just a weather balloon lol what do you guys think happened after the balloon went down? did they try to wipe the data or something? 
Come on, China, where's the proof? We need more sources than one "source familiar with the matter" to believe this story. What's the payload on these balloons anyway? Is it just random sensor data or is there something more going on? I'm not buying it until we see some concrete evidence... 
We need to stay vigilant, China can't be trusted with their spy games anymore! 
seems like there's a lot of info that went unshared... 
. I mean, we're already dealing with enough hackers and cyber threats, but this is on a whole other level.
. And what's with China not being more transparent about their intentions? I mean, come on, they're basically broadcasting this stuff all over the internet... it's like they're taunting us 
. Anyone else as freaked out by this as I am?
. And now we're wondering if they wiped their data or what - it's like, did they collect some intel that we don't know about yet? 
.
️. And now the US is all "Uh oh, we got hacked!" 
and it's worrying for global security! They've had at least 2 dozen missions over 5 continents, which is crazy 
]
Anyway, back to the balloon - at least our spy agencies are on top of it now. Fingers crossed that they didn't get any super sensitive info 
.
Like, what's next? Personal spy drones?