U.S. intelligence officials have discovered that the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the United States in 2021 used an American internet service provider to communicate. According to two current and one former U.S. official familiar with the assessment, the balloon connected with a U.S.-based company to send and receive messages from China, primarily related to navigation. The balloon was able to send burst transmissions of data over short periods of time by using the connection, as outlined by the analysis.
In a bid to obtain information on the Chinese balloon while it was over the U.S., the Biden administration submitted a highly classified court order to the foreign intelligence surveillance court, according to sources. Multiple existing and former U.S. officials confirm the subpoena permitted intelligence services to conduct electronic monitoring on the balloon while it was in U.S. airspace and communicating with China via the American internet service provider. The court ruling on the subpoena has not been released.
To protect its sources, NBC News has not mentioned the name of the internet service provider that the balloon connected with. The organization allegedly denied the Chinese balloon access to its network in discussions with U.S. officials after conducting its own inquiry.
It is unclear what data was collected by intelligence services when they monitored the Chinese spy balloon, how long the balloon flew over the U.S., or the flight path it took. Nonetheless, intelligence gathering of any kind over U.S. airspace without congressional support is constrained, and such activities frequently lead to political and public scrutiny.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council redirected requests for information to the National Intelligence Director’s office. However, the agency refused to provide any comments regarding the Chinese balloon and the court order issued against it.
As the United States continues to combat escalating cyber threats from state and non-state actors, these revelations serve as a reminder of the immediacy and significance of the issue.
