Orb of Trust: The Battle for Digital Identity

Hacker Anthology

In a near-future world teetering on the edge of digital chaos, trust in online identity has all but vanished—until visionary tech magnate Sam Altner unveils The Orb, a mysterious sphere that scans irises and issues unforgeable World IDs. Promising a new era of autonomy and economic opportunity, The Orb spreads rapidly across continents, from neon-lit gas stations to bustling markets and ancient cityscapes. But as millions—especially the world’s most vulnerable—trade their biometric data for a taste of crypto-wealth, a storm of controversy erupts. Regulators and privacy advocates, led by the unyielding Divya Siddell, warn of a looming surveillance dystopia, while shadowy investors and cybercriminals circle, hungry for control of this new digital backbone. As the Orb’s network expands, CEO Alex Blenner and financial architect Max Novenstern grapple with spiraling ethical dilemmas and mounting technical threats. A catastrophic breach exposes the fragility of the system, igniting global panic as rival governments and hackers race to seize the World ID infrastructure. On the front lines, Lina Cortés—a Chilean market vendor—emerges as a reluctant leader, fighting to protect her community from exploitation while navigating the promise and peril of this brave new world. With Inspector Klaus Reiter and a cadre of regulators closing in, Altner and his team must race against time to secure global trust before their creation becomes humanity’s undoing. Told through interwoven perspectives, this pulse-pounding cyber-thriller fuses fact and fiction, challenging us to ask: can true freedom exist when our very identities are the ultimate currency? Inspired by: The Orb Will See You Now - https://time.com/7288387/sam-altman-orb-tools-for-humanity/

• (00:00) - False Eyes, True Orbs
• (05:00) - The Breach Revealed
• (08:02) - Ghosts Unmasked
• (12:52) - Credits