by Ed Driscoll
Chinese spy balloon linked to U.S. company used for communication, potentially sending burst transmissions. Biden admin sought secretive court order.
THE CALLS ARE COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE! Report: Chinese Spy Balloon Used U.S. Internet Provider.
The balloon connected to a U.S.-based company, according to the assessment, to send and receive communications from China, primarily related to its navigation. Officials familiar with the assessment said it found that the connection allowed the balloon to send burst transmissions, or high-bandwidth collections of data over short periods of time.
The Biden administration sought a highly secretive court order from the federal Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to collect intelligence about it while it was over the U.S., according to multiple current and former U.S. officials. How the court ruled has not been disclosed.
Such a court order would have allowed U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance on the balloon as it flew over the U.S. and as it sent and received messages to and from China, the officials said, including communications sent via the American internet service provider.
That’s in addition to earlier reports that US-made equipment was found inside the balloon’s hardware: Chinese spy balloon used US technology: Report.
In February, Noah Rothman described the spy balloon as being an actual ‘Sputnik Moment,’ but in 1957, Ike was much more concerned about US enemies, in sharp contrast to Sundown Joe and his Obama-era retread handlers in 2023: