A Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time, according to a source familiar with the matter. The balloon, which first entered US airspace over Alaska in late January, collected imagery and signals intelligence from various US military sites before being shot down off the East Coast on February 4.
The US government is still trying to determine whether China could have wiped the data from the balloon as it received it, raising questions about potential unknown intelligence gathering capabilities. However, US officials say that the information gathered by the balloon was not significantly more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites can collect over similar locations.
A senior State Department official previously confirmed that the balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations while it floated across the US. However, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, downplayed concerns about the balloon's capabilities, stating that it did not present a significant collection hazard beyond existing technical means from China.
The Chinese surveillance program, which includes balloons like the one shot down by the US, is believed to be run out of the small province of Hainan. The US does not know the exact size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons but has tracked at least two dozen missions over five continents in recent years, with roughly half a dozen flights entering US airspace.
China has disputed claims that the balloon was used for espionage, insisting it was just a weather balloon thrown off course. However, officials believe China may have been able to maneuver the balloon and loiter over sensitive sites once it entered US airspace.
As tensions between Washington and Beijing escalate following the balloon incident, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently discussed his vision for engagement, competition, and confrontation with China in an interview. The US intelligence community remains vigilant about Chinese surveillance efforts, but some officials say that the information gathered by the balloon was not significantly more sophisticated than what is already available through other means.
The US government is still trying to determine whether China could have wiped the data from the balloon as it received it, raising questions about potential unknown intelligence gathering capabilities. However, US officials say that the information gathered by the balloon was not significantly more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites can collect over similar locations.
A senior State Department official previously confirmed that the balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations while it floated across the US. However, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, downplayed concerns about the balloon's capabilities, stating that it did not present a significant collection hazard beyond existing technical means from China.
The Chinese surveillance program, which includes balloons like the one shot down by the US, is believed to be run out of the small province of Hainan. The US does not know the exact size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons but has tracked at least two dozen missions over five continents in recent years, with roughly half a dozen flights entering US airspace.
China has disputed claims that the balloon was used for espionage, insisting it was just a weather balloon thrown off course. However, officials believe China may have been able to maneuver the balloon and loiter over sensitive sites once it entered US airspace.
As tensions between Washington and Beijing escalate following the balloon incident, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently discussed his vision for engagement, competition, and confrontation with China in an interview. The US intelligence community remains vigilant about Chinese surveillance efforts, but some officials say that the information gathered by the balloon was not significantly more sophisticated than what is already available through other means.
I'm worried about how easy it seems to be for another country to spy on us from up high. I mean, this thing just floats around collecting info and we only found out because of something happened. It's like, what's stopping them from doing that again? We know they've been tracking our stuff too, with all these balloon missions they're sending over here. 
It's getting pretty serious, you know? I just hope we can keep up with what they're doing and protect ourselves properly... 
china's been doing this for yrs now! 
they've got it down to a science, no need 2 panic about it 
if dey really wanna keep ppl safe, dey gotta be transparent n open 'bout what's goin' on 
. It's like they're playing a real-life game of cat and mouse with the US 
. The fact that it was just 'lost' in space and not intentionally used for espionage is pretty fishy too 
... I mean, why would you send up a spy balloon if it wasn't going to do its job? 
And now we're wondering what other secrets they might be hiding 
. This whole thing just raises more questions than answers 
I mean, come on, a spy balloon collecting info and sending it back to Beijing in real-time? That's just crazy! 
The US is trying to figure out if China could have wiped that data, but like, shouldn't they be focusing on what else China might be up to? 
. It's crazy to think that our airspace can be compromised like that. I mean, I know it's not the first time this has happened, but it's still unsettling.
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But still, it's gotta be frustrating for our guys up at the State Department and the military. They've got a lot of work to do to keep up with this new landscape 
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like we're born yesterday or something. if they're trying to be so secretive, why not own up to it instead of trying to spin this as some kind of conspiracy? I guess that's just how politics works... 
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. The fact that at least two dozen missions have entered US airspace over the past few years suggests a significant investment in this program 
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. The real issue is how we're reacting to this... are we getting paranoid or just being paranoid? 
They're like ghosts in the sky.
. It's more like, they were just kinda... collecting some intel while they floated around 
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. Plus, if China really was gonna use a balloon to spy on us, wouldn't that just give us an excuse to get their tech back? 
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honestly, if china can't even get their own weather balloons to fly right, how do they expect to gather intel with these fancy spy things? 
... Meanwhile, we're just here for the tech specs 
, so it's not like this balloon was doing something new or innovative here 
... We need to be more transparent about our own surveillance capabilities, imo 
I'm just worried that we're missing something here and it's gonna come back to haunt us. 
But I guess that's just how it is in this whole game of espionage and counter-espionage. 
. Like literally a whole fleet of balloons floating around our airspace?? 
. I mean we know they're collecting signals intel, that's like basic espionage 101 
. The fact that they can transmit info in real-time? That's like sci-fi stuff 
. This is definitely not a drill, china's on our radar and we better be ready 
and china's just over here playing dumb with us 