An esteemed computer expert with two decades of research experience in coding, confidentiality, and cyber defense has vanished mysteriously, with Indiana University, his employer, deleting his professor profile, email, and contacts while FBI conducted searches at his properties without any disclosed reason.
Xiaofeng Wang boasts an impressive array of titles. He previously held the post of research associate at Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering within Indiana University, in addition to being a fellow at both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also a tenured educator at Indiana University in Bloomington, overseeing research projects exceeding $23 million during his tenure lasting over two decades.
Wang has collaborated on numerous scholarly papers covering a broad spectrum of disciplines such as encryption, system security, and data confidentiality, notably including the safeguarding of genetic information. I have personally engaged with him in interviews featured here, here, and here.
“This Situation Is Completely Unprecedented”
Recently, all traces of Wang’s contact details, including email, phone number, and official page at Luddy School were silently eliminated by the university. During the same period, Indiana University also scrubbed the profile of his spouse, Nianli Ma, who was listed as a chief systems analyst and programmer in the university’s Library Technologies division.
According to reports by The Bloomingtonian and later The Herald-Times in Bloomington, numerous unmarked vehicles from law enforcement agencies swarmed Wang and Ma’s residence in Bloomington, engaging in multiple search and collection trips throughout the day. Simultaneously, TV channel WTHR reported that another property owned by the couple in Carmel, Indiana, underwent a thorough search. The report mentioned the presence of a resident and an attorney during parts of the search.
Efforts to track down Wang and Ma have yielded no results thus far. A representative from Indiana University declined to respond to email queries regarding the couple’s employment status at the university and the rationale behind the removal of their profiles, emails, and contact information. Instead, the spokesperson provided contact details for an FBI spokesperson at the Indianapolis field office. In a written response, the spokesperson stated, “The FBI executed authorized law enforcement operations at properties in Bloomington and Carmel on Friday. No additional details are available at this time.”
The examination of federal court records failed to produce any documentation linked to Wang, Ma, or the property searches. The FBI spokesperson chose not to divulge information about the issuing US district court and the timeline of the warrant, nor did they comment on the potential detainment of either Wang or Ma. Queries made to the Justice Department representatives via email regarding the same details remained unanswered. An email dispatched to Wang went unattended at the time of posting this content. Their citizenship status or residency (e.g., American citizens or permanent residents) remains undisclosed.
Fellow researchers voiced their apprehension over the aforementioned incidents on social media during the weekend.
“This entire sequence of events is unprecedented,” remarked Matthew Green, a cryptography expert and professor at Johns Hopkins University.
penned a note on Mastodon. The message was followed up by a further statement: “Has anybody made contact? Rumor has it he’s vanished for a fortnight and his pupils are unable to get in touch with him. How does such a thing go unnoticed for fourteen days??”
Within the same conversation, Matt Blaze, a McDevitt professor specializing in computer science and law at Georgetown University, expressed: “It’s challenging to fathom what justification there could be for the university to erase him from its website as if he never existed there. Additionally, the process for dismissing tenured faculty members is not something that can be accomplished in a single afternoon.”
Local news outlets reported that officers spent numerous hours moving containers in and out of the homes. WTHR shared various aspects about the search at the Carmel residence:
Residents mentioned that officers called out “FBI, come out!” through a megaphone.
An individual emerged from the dwelling holding a mobile phone. Footage from a nearby resident shows an officer confiscating the phone from her. Subsequently, she was interrogated in the driveway before the officers began to rummage through the household, collecting evidence and capturing images.
A car was slightly maneuvered out of the garage to enable the inspectors to reach the attic.
The woman exited the residence before the arrival of 13News. She returned shortly after noon in the company of a lawyer. A group of roughly ten investigators departed a few minutes later.
The FBI declined to disclose their reasons for the search or the individual under scrutiny. A representative from the bureau issued a statement: “I can confirm that we performed lawful activities at the specified location in Carmel today. We have no further comments at this time.”
Investigators stayed at the premises for approximately four hours before leaving with multiple boxes of evidence. 13News attempted to make contact once the officers had departed. A legal representative representing the family, who answered the door, mentioned that they are currently unsure about the focus of the investigation.
If any fresh information arises, this article will be revised accordingly. Individuals with first-hand knowledge regarding the incidents involving Wang, Ma, or the investigation concerning either are advised to reach out, preferably via Signal at DanArs.82. The email is: dan.goodin@arstechnica.com.
This account was initially published on Ars Technica.
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