Apparently, the soccer ball that Trump received from Putin has a microchip in it. CNN reported that it did, but apparently, ALL the soccer balls that were used at FIFA World Cup are microchiped so that the company can provide updates to your phone.
Doesn't mean that it couldn't be used for nefarious purposes though. Here is what Snopes had to say on the subject, and they said that while all those soccer balls have them, the Russians could have replaced it with a similar looking chip that can hack phones.
I posted links to both the Snopes article, and what CNN reported, so that you can make up your own minds.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/07/26/soccer-ball-putin-chip/
Vladimir Putin may have given Trump a soccer ball with a transmitter chip - CNNPolitics
Doesn't mean that it couldn't be used for nefarious purposes though. Here is what Snopes had to say on the subject, and they said that while all those soccer balls have them, the Russians could have replaced it with a similar looking chip that can hack phones.
I posted links to both the Snopes article, and what CNN reported, so that you can make up your own minds.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2018/07/26/soccer-ball-putin-chip/
Vladimir Putin may have given Trump a soccer ball with a transmitter chip - CNNPolitics