Ran Wang

Ran Wang (Chinese: 王染; pinyin: Wáng Rǎn) (May 20, 2001 - September 11, 2082) was a Chinese-American engineer, known as one of the founding members of the National Insecurity Agency, a hacker group based in Philadelphia. He was one of fifteen members who were arrested during a raid by the FBI in 2047 that spelled the end of the organization, having been shot while attempting to escape.

Early life and career
Wang was born in Dongguan, China. His family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States when he was 10. He began attending the University of Pennsylvania in 2019, and would go on to earn his B.S. in computer science and continue at the university to pursue a masters in the same subject. During his first two semesters, he shared a suite on-campus with computer engineering student James Bresehoff and mechanical engineering student Si Fan. Wang began dating fellow computer science student Simone Carlstrom during his second semester after she joined a class late and he offered his notes for her to catch up with.

While a sophomore in the program in 2020, he began meeting up with several other students at a study group, including Carlstrom, Fan, and Bresehoff. This group would evolve into the Multi-Discipline Engineering Study Group, an extracurricular group at the University.

After his graduation in 2023, he began work as an engineer, and continued to support and affiliate with the group as it transitioned into a radical underground organization.

Wang broke up with Carlstrom in early 2024. He married fellow University of Pennsylvania alumni and MDESG member Lisa Yu in 2029.

Arrest and dissolution of NIA
The FBI raided the Philadelphia headquarters of the National Insecurity Agency on July 3, 2047, arresting many members and killing three. Wang and his wife Lisa Yu were both arrested, Wang having been shot in the shoulder while attempting to flee along with another member who was armed. Wang received special attention from the prosecution as an original and founding member of the group, as well as for his relationship with Carlstrom, who was not captured. He was tried independently, as were many of the original members, while his wife was part of a joint trial with nine of the other apprehended members.

In April 2048, Wang was sentenced to four years in prison. His wife, along with the other members of the joint trial, was sentenced to two years, with a further three years probation in 2049. Following his prison term, he was deported to China in 2052.