Chinese spy balloons ‘used a U.S. internet provider’ – as well as American hardware

Chinese spy balloons used connectivity supplied by an American internet service provider, according to a new report. NBC News cites two current and one former U.S. official, who claim to have had eyes on an intelligence report asserting that the flying spy devices connected to a U.S. company for data transmission services.

If the source report is correct, it demonstrates the bravado of the spy balloon designers. As well as using U.S. technologies within the high-altitude balloons, the Chinese seem to have simply organized a data contract with a U.S. ISP for sending all the spy-in-the-sky data home.

The data transmissions were characterized as short but high-bandwidth burst transmissions. According to the intelligence assessment, data transferred between the balloon and China primarily consisted of navigation information. The most important question regarding the spy balloon story hence becomes – what else was contained in the data bursts sent to China? Sadly, we aren’t in a position to know, as yet. 

NBC says the Biden administration sought a court order for electronic surveillance of the balloons. However, we don’t know if the order was successful, never mind any of its investigative outcomes. Moreover, the American internet service provider fingered by NBC News has reportedly denied that the Chinese balloon used its network.

The spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, has claimed that the balloon(s) “unintentionally drifted into the U.S. because of the westerlies and its limited self-steering capability.” Thus, it would be telling if it could be confirmed that Chinese engineers had organized U.S. internet service. NBC News declined to reveal the American ISP to protect the identity of its sources.

Balloons previously confirmed to be designed for spying

China’s spy balloons grabbed a lot of headlines in early 2023, but investigations revealed that they had been floating above the states for months previously without precipitating any headlines.

Downed balloons were found to contain components such as a satellite-like device, solar panels for power, a propeller, and devices to collect photos, videos, and radar data. Other specialized Chinese sensors and equipment carried by the balloons led to a preliminary U.S. probe concluding that the Chinese balloons were indeed created for spying.

Our last report on these Chinese devices noted that the balloon downed near South Carolina never managed to transmit any information to China during its eight days over the U.S. Whether the lack of transmission was a fault with the hardware, software, jamming by U.S. authorities, or an ISP issue, it has not been revealed.