A US spy balloon that crossed into the country in January was able to capture sensitive information from American military sites, according to a source familiar with the matter. The balloon was capable of transmitting data back to Beijing in real-time and was likely used to gather signals intelligence.
However, officials believe that the Chinese government may have wiped the data as it received it, leaving some questions about whether the US is aware of any new information gathered by the balloon. The US has been monitoring a fleet of similar balloons operated by the Chinese military, with at least two dozen missions recorded over five continents in recent years.
The balloon's flight across the country was closely tracked by US authorities, who were able to protect sensitive sites and censor some signals before they could be picked up by 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.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, stated that the US did not assess the balloon as presenting a significant collection hazard beyond existing technical means from China. The surveillance program is reportedly run out of the Chinese province of Hainan, with roughly half a dozen flights within US airspace in recent years.
China has maintained that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course, but officials believe it had some ability to maneuver and loiter over sensitive sites, trying to collect intelligence. The incident highlights concerns about China's growing surveillance capabilities and its willingness to use advanced technology to gather information on potential adversaries.
However, officials believe that the Chinese government may have wiped the data as it received it, leaving some questions about whether the US is aware of any new information gathered by the balloon. The US has been monitoring a fleet of similar balloons operated by the Chinese military, with at least two dozen missions recorded over five continents in recent years.
The balloon's flight across the country was closely tracked by US authorities, who were able to protect sensitive sites and censor some signals before they could be picked up by 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.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, stated that the US did not assess the balloon as presenting a significant collection hazard beyond existing technical means from China. The surveillance program is reportedly run out of the Chinese province of Hainan, with roughly half a dozen flights within US airspace in recent years.
China has maintained that the balloon was just a weather balloon thrown off course, but officials believe it had some ability to maneuver and loiter over sensitive sites, trying to collect intelligence. The incident highlights concerns about China's growing surveillance capabilities and its willingness to use advanced technology to gather information on potential adversaries.
This whole thing is getting out of hand, if you ask me... I mean, China can't just float a spy balloon into our airspace and expect us to take it lying down? 
It's like they think we're some kind of amateur hour or something. And what really gets my goat is that they've been doing this for years, with at least two dozen missions recorded over five continents... 
That's just not right.
It's like they're trying to out-tech us or something... and that's just not fair.
We need to be able to keep up with China on their own terms, not let them dictate the playing field. We can't just sit back and wait for them to make the first move... that's not a strategy, that's just playing catch-up.
We need to be careful here and not let our emotions get the better of us. After all, as a nation, we have to be willing to take a stand on these kinds of issues... or else we'll just be left in the dust. 
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER GUY'S FLIGHTS, BUT THIS ONE WAS LIKE A BIG RED FLAG IN THE SKY!!! 
WHAT DOES CHINA HAVE TO HIDE? 
I GUESS WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF THEY DECIDE TO SHARE THE INFO WITH US... OR IF THEY'D RATHER KEEP IT ALL TO THEMSELVES! 
this is really worrying... a spy balloon just hovering around our country, collecting super sensitive info from our military sites? Like what if they've got something bad planned? 
And now we're not even sure if they wiped the data or not... it's like a game of cat and mouse with our national security. 
We need to be more careful about who we trust, especially with all these advanced surveillance systems out there. 
My heart is racing just thinking about this... hope our government can keep us safe! 
. And US officials just accept that the data is gone? Come on, if it was this easy for China to wipe their own tracks, wouldn't they do something more dramatic like, I don't know, hack our systems or something? 
. Maybe it's just me, but I think this whole thing is a big show to distract us from their other, more aggressive moves...
Is it just about collecting intel or is this part of some bigger game to undermine American interests? 
, but for real life! And the fact that China might have wiped the data is super suspicious - what if they deleted some incriminating evidence? 
Anyway, this whole thing just adds to the paranoia about our global surveillance capabilities. It's like, we thought we had control over our tech, but it seems like everyone's got their eyes on us 
.
... yeah right. I remember when I was a kid, we didn't even have drones, let alone high-tech balloons that can collect signals intel. It's like they're tryin' to one-up the US in the spy game. And now our SecState is postponin' a diplomatic visit to China? That's just crazy talk 
. And now we know that they can transmit data back to Beijing in real-time, which is just super sketchy.
. But still, this incident is a major red flag for us to pay attention to. We need to be extra careful when it comes to our national security.
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. I'm not saying it's necessarily espionage, but there's definitely something fishy going on here.
I'm all for security measures, but this level of spy balloon nonsense is getting out of hand! 
It's crazy to think about how much sensitive info it could've picked up and transmitted back to Beijing in real-time. I'm not sure what's more shocking - the fact that China was flying this thing over us without us even knowing or that we might not know if they wiped all the data as soon as it came in 
I'm also curious - why did this incident happen now? Was there something specific that prompted the balloon to cross into US airspace? 
[A screenshot from a video game showing a futuristic surveillance system]
[A GIF of a plane flying, but it's actually just a drone]
[A picture of a UFO with a red X through it]
. china's not just sending up balloons, they're building an entire surveillance state 