Chinese Spy Balloon Used U.S. Internet Provider: Report

The Chinese spy balloon that flew across the U.S. earlier this year used a commercially available American internet provider, according to a report. U.S. intelligence officials concluded that the balloon had used the American company’s services to send and receive messages from China mainly related to the balloon’s navigation, officials familiar with the assessment told NBC News. The company in question—which was not disclosed by NBC—denied that the balloon had used its network, citing its own investigation and discussions with unnamed officials. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., told the outlet that the “airship” was used only for “meteorological research” when it “unintentionally drifted into [the] U.S. because of the westerlies and its limited self-steering capability.”