Spy vs Spy: A brief history of balloon spying
As world leaders try to strike a less blood-thirsty look, waters are being tested through often blatant displays of espionage.
Earlier today, a Chinese spy balloon – which the country said it had sent to check weather patterns – had almost floated across the continental United States before it was shot down by the US military.
The incident came on the heels of a classified report that outlined incidents of American adversaries potentially using advanced aerial technology to spy on the country, the New York Times reported.
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Some of those incidents have involved balloons, while others have involved quadcopter drones.
The Chinese balloon generated a lot of discourse tinged with excitement, anger and also apprehension.
Videos of the balloon recorded by ordinary Americans went viral.
This wasn't, however, the first time aerial surveillance was used.
Always a first time
The first instance of using balloons to spy on enemies was during the French Revolutionary Wars.
In 1794, the French Committee of Public Safety created the Corps d' Aerostiers. They used balloons sporadically for reconnaissance, seeing action only during the battles of Charleroi and Fleurus. However, the French military use of the balloon did not continue uninterrupted, as in 1799 Napoleon disbanded the French balloon corps.
What goes around, comes around
During the civil wars in America, both the Confederates and the Unions used balloons to gather information on their rival's position. At the time though, the balloons were kept tethered. The aerial view, however, offered them the chance to plan ahead and map out the land.
The scientific community as well showed great support in influencing George Washington to consider the use of balloons.
The Union had better balloon resources than the Confederates, including a boat to which a balloon was tethered, in what amounted to an early version of an aircraft carrier.
The balloons would go on to be used on numerous military battles, including both the world wars.
An erosion of trust
While it makes sense to spy on enemies, it didn't stop there.
Following the Snowden leaks in 2013, the world learned that five Anglo-Saxon countries had teamed up to spy not only on foreigners, but also their own nationals.
Dubbed the Five Eyes Alliance, it faced large amounts of public distrust, with many people believing it to be a violation of basic human rights.
The Five Eyes Alliance (abbreviated as FVEY in government documents) is a cooperative intelligence network that monitors the electronic communications of citizens and foreign governments.
The network of anglophone countries includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The FVEY is the result of the UKUSA (United Kingdom – United States of America) Agreement of 1946 and is the world's oldest intelligence partnership.
Classified NSA documents leaked by Snowden showed that the Five Eyes were collecting and storing large amounts of electronic communications records from their own ordinary citizens. The documents revealed that the partner countries were monitoring the citizens of each other-- as a loophole, to bypass domestic spying laws for mass surveillance. This Five Eyes surveillance program was known as Echelon.
