FBI raids home of prominent computer scientist who has gone incommunicado

Stembolt

A prominent computer scientist who has spent 20 years publishing academic papers on cryptography, privacy, and cybersecurity has gone incommunicado, had his professor profile, email account, and phone number removed by his employer Indiana University, and had his homes raided by the FBI. No one knows why.

real_aurgathor

Well, his name is Xiaofeng Wang and while I can’t answer the why, I think I can guess, especially if he’s from mainland China.

InternetJeff

One possibility is espionage. Wouldn’t be the first of many who’ve been caught. His university may have been given a gag order by the court, which may be why they are not commenting. It has not been unheard of, and there have been several examples, of people spying for years before being caught.

Somewhat-Reticent

InternetJeff One possibility is

witness protection.

InternetJeff

Somewhat-Reticent

That would be a good one.

Stembolt

Somewhat-Reticent witness protection

U.S. Marshall Service handles Witness Protection. The FBI seemed to be leading an investigation of some kind.

Somewhat-Reticent

FBI “with assistance from Homeland Security”.
“Fired”, no reason(s) revealed, early in March.
Neither reachable in the last two weeks.
How much else is quietly being scrubbed?
… Did the woman at their other house get her phone back?

real_aurgathor

Looking at his wiki page, he was most certainly a smart and well accomplished fellow:

Wang received a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004.[4]
In 2004, Wang became an assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington. He was later named the James H. Rudy Professor of Computer Science, Engineering, and Informatics.[5]
In 2013, Wang researched and published about vulnerabilities in major smartphone applications, including the Apple and Google web browsers.[6]
In 2024, Wang was the lead principal investigator at the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing. This National Science Foundation project in Secure and Trustworthy Computing involved faculty from IU (the lead), CMU, Duke, OSU, Penn State, Purdue, Spelman and Yale.[2]
Wang received a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004.[4]
In 2004, Wang became an assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington. He was later named the James H. Rudy Professor of Computer Science, Engineering, and Informatics.[5]
In 2013, Wang researched and published about vulnerabilities in major smartphone applications, including the Apple and Google web browsers.[6]
In 2024, Wang was the lead principal investigator at the Center for Distributed Confidential Computing. This National Science Foundation project in Secure and Trustworthy Computing involved faculty from IU (the lead), CMU, Duke, OSU, Penn State, Purdue, Spelman and Yale.[2]
Wang was co-direcor of Indiana University’s Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering (SPICE).[7]
In March 2025, the university removed his profile and the profile of his wife and their contact information from its website, and their two homes were searched by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security.[1][3] His whereabouts are unknown. The university has not explained its action.
Prior to their disappearance, Wang lived in Bloomington, Indiana, with his wife Nianli Ma, who has been a systems analyst and programmer at the university’s Library Technologies division.[1][3]

I wonder about ‘his whereabouts’ which should not be unknown.

he could’ve been detained and held in detention without any announcement
he left the country – if that happened via airplane, then there should be some info on his destination; if he left in some other way (i.e. driving to Canada) then it might be harder to track
He’s still in the US, hiding somewhere – unlikely possibility since if he knows that he’s wanted, the best bet it to get out as quickly as possible, even if that involves an illegal crossing into Canada
He’s dead – also not very likely, but possible in theory and has to be included for completeness sake

In any case, my guess is #2,

HooRU

If we mistreat scientists, particularly non whites, it could hurt our reputation. OTOH, we do have to prevent our enemies having information that can compromise us. A gossamer line that must be held. Some ABCs have defected to China or sold secrets. Most ABCs are patriotic US Citizens though, despite racism against them. I know of a few incidents back in the day not widely publicized.

Somewhat-Reticent

Wikipedia page doesn’t note citizenship …
MSN notes data scrub of March 14, when he was placed on administrative leave.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Executive Committee sent a letter decrying the tenured professor’s termination without due process.
( Was he terminated, or suspended for the duration of an investigation? )

assailant

HooRU If we mistreat scientists, particularly non whites, it could hurt our reputation.

How is this relevant to the topic? It’s not.

real_aurgathor

Somewhat-Reticent

He’s been in the US for long enough to obtain citizenship.

He was probably suspended first, and then terminated a little later. As per your link his “tenure has been summarily terminated”, and while that doesn’t automatically means termination of employment since tenure is essentially a guarantee of academic due process and presumption of innocence – in practice, that also means termination of employment.

meznaros

where there’s smoke there’s fire

Dks01

assailant Very relevant. There appears to be an exodus of academics right now, for political reasons. The daughter of a friend of mine, a Canadian citizen, just received her PhD at a top tier university in California. She was offered her dream job by the university. They will ensure her immigration status is legal. She has turned down the job and is returning to Canada due to the arrest and detention of foreign academics. You reap what you sow.

Blackbird

From: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/31/fbi-searches-xiaofeng-wang-homes-indiana-university-cyrptography-computer.html

Indiana U. Law Professor Alex Tanford, the union chapter’s president, told CNBC in an interview Monday that Wang contacted him earlier this month as the university conducted what had first appeared to be a “routine” investigation over a grant application and how he reported a publication of his curriculum vitae.
Wang, who had been barred from his office and from access to his computer during the university’s probe, emailed Tanford on Friday to say, “I’ve been terminated,” the law professor recalled.

Somewhat-Reticent

Even his lawyer subject to a gag order? Intriguing. Few agencies do that.

InternetJeff

Somewhat-Reticent

It could be covered under a national Security letter.

NSLs typically contain a nondisclosure requirement forbidding the recipient of an NSL from disclosing the FBI had requested the information.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_security_letter

px_eliezer_

Might have taken a job in Singapore.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/31/indiana_cybersecurity_professor_fbi/

The university has removed the professor’s profile from its website, while the Indiana Daily Student reports Wang was axed the same day the Feds swooped. It’s said the college learned the professor had taken a job at a university in Singapore, leading to the boffin’s termination by his US employer. Ma’s university profile has also vanished.

Somewhat-Reticent

Would taking a job elsewhere moot union protest?

InternetJeff

Somewhat-Reticent

Welp, If he abondoned his post for employment abroad, that may be grounds for them to sack him.

The document, IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav’s email informing Wang of his termination, said it was Shrivastav’s understanding that Wang had accepted a faculty position with a university in Singapore. Shrivastav said in the email that Wang would not be eligible to be hired again at IU.

Which begs the question… if he left rather abruptly, there might have been an underlying motive for him doing so. It may all come out eventually.