Chinese Spy Balloon Used American Internet Service to Transmit Data: Reports

The Chinese spy balloon that floated over the United States in early 2023, used an American internet service provider to transmit periodic data back to China, reported CNN quoting a US official.

The identity of the specific internet service provider linked to the Chinese spy balloon has not been disclosed. But CNN claimed to have received information that the balloon had the capability to communicate with Beijing while it traversed over the US.

At first, NBC News reported about the use of a US network by the spy balloon for communication. According to the US official, the network connection was not utilised to transmit intelligence data back to China. The balloon stored such information for later retrieval. The US successfully shot down the Chinese spy balloon in February. The data stored by it was thoroughly analyzed.

As previously reported by CNN, the US intelligence community assessed that the spy balloon was part of an extensive surveillance program orchestrated by the Chinese military.