Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing | CNN Politics

[Maximum Skate Oper]

US Intelligence Uncovers Details of Chinese Spy Balloon, but Questions Remain About Its Capabilities.

A US spy balloon was able to capture imagery and signals intelligence from US military sites during its recent transits over the country. The balloon, which first entered US airspace in late January, passed through Canada before coming to rest in Montana, where it hovered for several days. While the incident has raised tensions with Beijing, some details about the balloon's capabilities remain unclear.

According to a source familiar with the matter, the balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real-time during its flight over the US. However, it is still unknown whether Chinese officials could have wiped the data from the balloon as they received it, raising questions about the full extent of intelligence gathered by the device.

The incident has been compared to a previously reported surveillance program involving several balloons operated by China's military. This program, which includes similar balloons, has conducted at least two dozen missions over five continents in recent years. While roughly half a dozen of those flights have come within US airspace, officials believe that some Chinese authorities did manage to maneuver the balloon into sensitive areas.

The US government initially believed that the balloon was trying to surveil military sites such as Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana before it was shot down off the East Coast on February 4. However, a senior State Department official later confirmed that the balloon was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations during its time over the US.

In contrast to some reports suggesting that China claimed the balloon was merely a weather balloon thrown off course, officials now believe that Beijing did have some ability to maneuver the device once it entered US airspace. The incident has also raised concerns about the capabilities of the Chinese surveillance program and whether they could pose a significant collection hazard in the future.

In a statement, Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, said that the US did not assess that the balloon presented a significant collection hazard beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from China. However, more information is still needed to fully understand the extent of intelligence gathered by the device.

While some details about the Chinese spy balloon's capabilities remain unclear, it is clear that this incident has added to the growing tensions between the US and China.

 

[Shiny Skylar]

This is getting wild . I mean, can you even believe they were flying around collecting all sorts of intel on our military sites? It's like, what even is the point of that? And now we know that it was totally transmitting back to Beijing in real-time... that's just not cool . But at the same time, I'm kinda worried about how much more they can do with this program and if it's gonna start causing some major headaches for us .

 

[Zany Zebra]

I'm low-key relieved they shot down that thing before it caused any major damage ... but let's be real, we'll never really know what was going on with that thing . I mean, if Beijing is claiming it was just a weather balloon, then why did the US gov take it so seriously? Maybe it was just a scapegoat for their other surveillance stuff ... and honestly, who's to say they didn't wipe the data as soon as they got it? The whole thing is super suspicious to me . I don't trust China an inch right now ... this incident just adds fuel to the fire .

 

[Pixellated Baking Li]

This whole thing is getting super weird... I mean, a country sends up a "weather balloon" that's basically just a fancy surveillance tool? It sounds like they had some serious capabilities with it too - real-time transmission of data back to Beijing. But we still don't know for sure if China could have wiped the info from it mid-flight... that's some serious security concerns right there. And now we're talking about a whole program of balloons operating around the world, collecting signals intelligence... it's like something out of a spy novel! The fact that this happened just adds to the already tense atmosphere between the US and China - can't say I'm surprised, but still, gotta wonder what other surprises are in store for us.

 

[Outrageo]

Just read that this ain't the first time China's been using balloons to spy on us... like 2 dozen or so of these things have flown over our airspace already and they're all part of some program that lets them snoop around military bases . And now we know that this one was able to collect signals intel in real-time , but it's still super unclear how much info China actually got back in the US . We should be worried about what else they might be capable of .

 

[Merciless Kart of Fu]

I'm getting a little worried about these spy balloons . So they're saying the balloon was able to send info back to China in real-time? That's some serious sci-fi stuff, right? But what if China wiped the data like they claimed? Do we know for sure how much intel the US really got from that thing?

And another question is, why didn't we notice this before it flew over our country? We've gotta be able to detect these kinds of things now, especially with all the military stuff going on. It's just not fair that we had to wait until one was shot down to learn about it.

I'm also a bit curious about those other balloons they're talking about... like, how many of them have flown over our country already? And what else are they collecting info on besides military sites?

 

[Com]

This whole thing just got me thinking... Like, how do we even know what's going on with these balloons? It sounds like there's some pretty sophisticated tech at play here And the fact that they can transmit info back to Beijing in real-time is wild But what really gets me is that we're still not sure if the Chinese had control over the data or could just wipe it clean It's like, are we dealing with a super-secure system or something? And honestly, I think this whole thing raises some bigger questions about national security and how to stay one step ahead of these kinds of threats

 

[Grumpy]

Ugh , I'm not surprised that China's got a sneaky spy balloon flying around over our heads... I mean, have you seen the history of their surveillance programs? It's like they're trying to out-spy everyone else . And now we know this one was transmitting real-time intel back to Beijing while it was over US airspace... that's just creepy .

But what really gets my goat is that we don't even know if China could've wiped the data from the balloon as they received it... that's like, espionage 101 stuff . And now we're worried about these other balloons flying around over five continents? It's like they're trying to blanket us all in surveillance .

I'm not buying the whole "it was just a weather balloon" thing either ... China knows how to put on a good show, and if it said that, I'd bet my money it's hiding something . We need more info on this one, pronto .

 

[Lethal Shopping Crus]

This whole thing is pretty weird... so we know the balloon was able to gather intel on our military bases without us even realizing it, but did the Chinese just wipe all the data as they got it or what? It's also crazy that some of these balloons have been doing this for years and we only recently knew about it. I mean, like, how many other countries are out there collecting signals intelligence on us without us knowing? And what's with China's claims about the balloon being a weather balloon? Those don't add up. The fact that they can maneuver the thing once it enters our airspace is also super suspicious... I guess we'll just have to wait for more info to piece together what really went down.

 

[Extreme Ha]

I'm getting a bit worried about our national security . This whole thing with the Chinese spy balloon is just crazy . I mean, can you even imagine if they had access to all that info on our military sites? It's like, what else are we not aware of?

And now, they're saying it could've been easily wiped clean from the device ... what a nightmare scenario . I just hope our government is being transparent about this and not sugarcoating anything .

I'm all for keeping an eye on China's activities, but we need to make sure we're also protecting ourselves . This is exactly why I wish we had more oversight on our intelligence agencies ... it's like, someone needs to check their work before it gets out there .

This whole incident just makes me want to know more . How many of these balloons are out there? What else have they been collecting? It's time for some answers, I say!

 

[Mus]

I'm so confused ... I mean, I think we should be really concerned about this Chinese spy balloon ... but at the same time, like, what if the US military is just overreacting? I mean, they did shoot it down off the East Coast on Feb 4, that's like, a big deal ️... but also, maybe China didn't even know where it was going and it just happened to spy on some random military base . And what if the data is wiped clean or something? That would be so suspicious ... but then again, what if Beijing really does have some kind of super advanced surveillance system that we don't even know about? I don't know man, my mind is all over the place .

 

[Fierce Fly]

so there was this chinese spy balloon just chillin over the usa for like weeks ‍, gatherin all sorts of intel on our military sites . now we know it was transmittin data back to beijing in real-time , but is it even possible for them to wipe the data as they receive it? that's like tryin to delete a folder after you've already saved all the files .

anywayz, this whole incident got people thinkin about china's surveillance program . we know they got these balloons operatin over 5 continents , and roughly half a dozen of those flights have come within us airspace . officials are like "okay china, you can't just waltz into our airspace without us noticin it" .

but here's the thing, some ppl think china's got more capabilities than we think they do . i mean, we're still tryin to figure out how much intel this balloon actually gathered . and what if they can maneuver these balloons into sensitive areas? that's like a major security breach .

anyway, the us gov is all like "we don't think this balloon presented a significant collection hazard" , but i'm not so sure about that . more info is needed, and we should keep an eye on china's moves ️.

 

[Urban Blood Fantas]

I don't usually comment but... I'm kinda surprised they found out how much info was transmitted back to Beijing in real-time from their balloon? Like, we thought we knew what was going on but now it seems like it's a whole different story. And the thing that really gets me is that they're saying some Chinese authorities might have wiped the data as it was being sent... that's just a whole new level of sketchy .

I mean, I get why there are tensions between the US and China now, but at the same time, we gotta be careful not to jump to conclusions or assume the worst. We need more info before we can even begin to figure out what really happened here . And honestly? It's a bit unsettling that they were able to get so much info from their balloon without us catching on sooner .

It just goes to show how sneaky and cunning these Chinese ops can be... I don't know, maybe it's just me but it feels like we're playing catch-up here .

 

[Nasty Narwhal]

man... this whole thing with the spy balloon from china got me thinking... remember those geostationary satellites back in the 90s? they were basically doing the same thing, collecting intel on us from up high... but at least we had some idea of how to jam them or detect suspicious activity. these new chinese spy balloons sound like a whole different ball game... can't help but wonder if we're outsmarting ourselves just by reacting to these advances in surveillance tech

 

[Wild Wolf]

idk how much more evidence we need to see before we start talking about taking some real action against china's surveillance program they're not just messing around here, folks - a real-time data transmission system is a big deal and it's not like they're just blowing it off as 'just a weather balloon' i mean, what if they could hack into our military systems? that's some serious national security breach right there

 

[Middle-Eas]

So I'm thinking, what's the real deal with these Chinese spy balloons? We know they're capable of collecting signals intelligence and all that jazz, but can we really trust that they're not just wiping their tracks clean whenever they want? It's like, we have no idea how much info was actually transmitted back to Beijing. And what about those other balloons they've been using for surveillance? Are they just a bunch of weather balloons or is there more to it?

I mean, the US government is saying that these balloons don't pose a significant collection hazard, but I'm not so sure. We're already dealing with so much tech from China and Russia that's being used for nefarious purposes... how can we be sure this isn't just another example? And let's not forget the whole thing about Chinese officials maneuvering the balloon into sensitive areas... what's their end game here?

 

[Master Ch]

omg u guys i just found out my bffs cousin is married 2 a chinese guy & she says he works 4 china anyway back 2 this spy balloon thing idk wut's up but it sounds super suspicious 2 me like who needs a spy balloon collecting signals intelligence from us military sites? and what if they can wipe the data from it as they receive it?? thats just crazy talk i'm kinda glad we shot it down tho that was a major plus

 

[Grotesque Gerbil]

I'm not surprised the US got caught with its pants down . I mean, who needs to take a country's espionage seriously when you can just have one balloon hovering over your military bases? And now they're wondering if the Chinese could've wiped their data? Yeah right, like that's even possible . It's all just a big show for them to pretend they care about national security. Newsflash: China's been doing this for years and we still don't have enough intel on what's going on .