US intelligence agencies claimed that the Chinese surveillance balloon that transited the United States in early 2023, used a US-based internet service provider to send short, periodic transmissions of data related to navigation and location back to China, media reports said.
This connection was one of the ways that the US was able to track its location and gather information on the balloon as it transited the United States, a source told CNN.
The CNN report did not identify the internet service provider.
The network connection was not used to transmit intelligence back to China, according to the official.
The balloon stored that information for later, including imagery and other data, which the US has since been able to study after shooting it down in February, the American news channel reported.
China, earlier, claimed the balloon was a weather balloon that blew off course.