The soccer ball that Russian President Vladimir Putin gifted to President Trump during their summit in Helsinki, contains a communications chip, according to Bloomberg.
The chip reportedly transmits information that it detects to nearby cell phones.
According to Bloomberg:
The chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball. Photographs from the news conference in Helsinki, where Putin handed the ball to Trump, show it bore a logo for a near-field communication tag. During manufacturing, the NFC chip is placed inside the ball under that logo, which resembles the icon for a WiFi signal, according to the Adidas website. The chip allows fans to access player videos, competitions and other content by bringing their mobile devices close to the ball. The feature is included in the 2018 FIFA World Cup match ball that’s sold on the Adidas website for $165 (reduced to $83 in the past week).
Given that the ball’s technological capabilities were advertised on the logo, one can’t accuse the Russians of anything underhanded in presenting Trump with the ball.
Nonetheless, some government officials such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., were immediately suspicious of the Russian overture:
According to Sporting News, “The Secret Service said the ball underwent a routine security screening.”
As far as what happened to the chip after the security screening, no one is quite sure.
As Bloomberg reports, it’s unknown whether the chip “removed, replaced with actual spy gear, or, even more remotely, whether the entire ball itself was fabricated for the event and only resembled the Adidas model in question.”
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