CGI Video Peddled As Footage Capturing Chinese 'Spy' Balloon Flying Over US

A computer-generated imagery (CGI) video showing a CCTV camera mounted on a large white balloon in the sky is being shared with a false claim that it is the suspected Chinese spy balloon that the United States shot down after it flew over territorial waters off the South Carolina coast.

On February 4, 2023, the US shot down a Chinese "spy balloon" that had traveled over a large swath of North America. The Biden administration has alleged that the balloon was “part of a larger Chinese surveillance-balloon program,” while the Chinese government has declined the allegation and accused the US of overreacting.

The White House national security spokesman John Kirby stated that the wreckage included “electronics and optics” but declined to say what the US had learned from it so far reported The Guardian on February 18, 2023.

The 11 second video shows someone zooming into a bright white light in the sky. On a closer look a rotating CCTV camera can be seen mounted in between two satellite panels.

The video is being shared with the caption, "200x Zoom, Ballon spy china before being shot by US ARMY"

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The same video is also being shared on Twitter with the misleading claim.

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FACT-CHECK

BOOM found that the viral video has been created using visual effects by a 3D artist which was originally posted on their Instagram account. The footage of the rotating CCTV camera has been added over footage of the white balloon the United States had downed alleging it was a Chinese spy balloon.

On checking the replies to the tweet with the viral video, we found several replies stating that the object in the video has been created using CGI. We found a quote tweet by the Twitter handle HoaxEye stating that the viral video was created by the Instagram account Hamid Ebrahimnia.

We checked the Instagram handle (@hamidebrahimnia) and found that the same video was uploaded by the handle five days ago along with the same audio that can be heard in the viral video.

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Ebrahimnia in his Instagram bio states that he is a visual effects and 3D artist.

He also uploaded how he created the video on his Instagram stories, showing how he took footage from news reports of the 'spy' balloon incident and added the object seen in the viral video on it using visual effects.

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