A US spy balloon, which was tracked by the country's intelligence agencies before it crossed into its airspace in late January, is believed to have been able to send back information to Beijing in real-time. According to a source familiar with the matter, the balloon had been equipped with an advanced system capable of capturing images and signals intelligence from US military sites.
The balloon first appeared over Alaska before passing through Canada and into Montana, where it was thought to be trying to gather intelligence on sensitive military bases like Malmstrom Air Force Base. However, after being shot down off the East Coast on February 4, officials are still unsure whether all of the data it had collected was transmitted back to Beijing.
The US government is also concerned that China may have deleted or altered some of the information gathered by the balloon before sending it back to Beijing. This raises questions about what intelligence the balloon did manage to gather that the US does not yet know about.
Despite this, the US intelligence community has been relatively unconcerned about the potential threat posed by the balloon. According to one official, the device was not significantly more advanced than Chinese satellites already in orbit over similar locations.
However, officials do acknowledge that the surveillance program using similar balloons is an ongoing concern. The balloons are thought to be operated out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, and at least two dozen missions have been conducted in recent years across five continents.
It's not clear how many of these flights have entered US airspace, but roughly half a dozen are believed to have done so. China has denied any deliberate attempts by the balloon to gather intelligence on sensitive sites, claiming it was just a weather balloon that had strayed off course. However, officials believe some ability to maneuver the device and attempt to collect intelligence.
The incident has further strained relations between the US and China, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing.
The balloon first appeared over Alaska before passing through Canada and into Montana, where it was thought to be trying to gather intelligence on sensitive military bases like Malmstrom Air Force Base. However, after being shot down off the East Coast on February 4, officials are still unsure whether all of the data it had collected was transmitted back to Beijing.
The US government is also concerned that China may have deleted or altered some of the information gathered by the balloon before sending it back to Beijing. This raises questions about what intelligence the balloon did manage to gather that the US does not yet know about.
Despite this, the US intelligence community has been relatively unconcerned about the potential threat posed by the balloon. According to one official, the device was not significantly more advanced than Chinese satellites already in orbit over similar locations.
However, officials do acknowledge that the surveillance program using similar balloons is an ongoing concern. The balloons are thought to be operated out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, and at least two dozen missions have been conducted in recent years across five continents.
It's not clear how many of these flights have entered US airspace, but roughly half a dozen are believed to have done so. China has denied any deliberate attempts by the balloon to gather intelligence on sensitive sites, claiming it was just a weather balloon that had strayed off course. However, officials believe some ability to maneuver the device and attempt to collect intelligence.
The incident has further strained relations between the US and China, with the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing.
this whole thing is so sketchy! Interesting how China is denying it was even a spy balloon 
. I mean, they're saying it's just a weather balloon that went rogue... but come on, we've all seen those Chinese satellites in orbit and we know they're way more advanced than some random weather balloon 
.
and I'm like totally confused... how do they even send info back in real-time?!? is it like a super fast wifi or something? 
also, why did China have to deny the whole weather balloon thing? didn't they want us to know what was up with that thing? 
? Like, isn't that exactly what the Chinese government would do with a whole bunch of balloons flying around the world? And honestly, I'm surprised China didn't just claim it was a drone and see how far they could get away with it 
. But no, instead we have to deal with a half-dozen US airspace incursions from "weather balloons" 
. Just what we needed, more suspicious behavior from our friends in China...
the fact that it was equipped with some kinda advanced spy tech is pretty suspicious imo. and what really gets me is that they've been doing these balloon surveillance missions for years already 
the us needs to keep a closer eye on this stuff tbh 
They're like something out of a James Bond movie.
I mean, instead of straining relations over some balloons, maybe we could be having real talks about how to prevent these kinds of incidents in the future.
. Okay, gotta take a deep breath and calm down...
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It's kinda like when I was on a plane and we hit some turbulence - my coffee spilled all over my laptop! 
I'm not surprised that a spy balloon could potentially send back info to Beijing in real-time... it's like something out of a movie 
. But at the same time, I get why the US is still trying to figure out what exactly happened with this balloon and whether China deleted or altered any sensitive info.
. But let's not jump to conclusions just yet... maybe the US overreacted a bit and China didn't do anything malicious. I mean, who hasn't lost a balloon or two (or three, or four...)? 
but at the same time it makes me wonder what other intel they might have gathered that we don't even know about yet 
i guess the fact that the balloon was shot down before all the data could be sent back is a bit of a bummer, but also kinda expected 
. i mean, if china can do this without anyone noticing, what's to stop them from doing more? 
. china denying it was just a weather balloon is pretty weak sauce imo 
. and the fact that officials are still unsure whether all the data it collected was transmitted back is super concerning 
. so while this incident is definitely a concern, let's not be naive about china's intentions 
.
. like, our military sites are basically sitting ducks for these kinds of attacks 
. it's a whole mess, man 
.
They've got a lot of smart people working for them, and I'm sure they're not all about espionage. Maybe the balloon was just, like, a lost cause or something 
. I'm all for keeping our military strong, but at what cost? Our international relations are already strained; do we really need this kind of drama? 
#NoMoreSpyGames #StayCalm #GlobalDiplomacy
but then you gotta wonder what all the secrecy is for. 
. at least the us is trying to stay calm but i'm not sure how long that'll last 
especially when it comes to national security & espionage... still shrouded in mystery 
. And now we know some of them are equipped with super advanced tech that lets them send back info to Beijing in real-time 
. That's just not right! I don't trust China at all when it comes to their intentions with these balloons. They're like a big ol' game of cat and mouse, where one side is always trying to gather intel on the other.
! That's like having an unwelcome guest in your home without even realizing it. It's not fair to our military personnel who are already working hard to keep us safe. We need to take a stand against this kind of surveillance and make sure that China knows its actions won't be tolerated 
.
It's like, come on China! You're basically saying you can just send in these SPY BALLOONS and WATCH US from SPACE?!