NEW YORK (July, 14 2026)—The Trust Crisis: How Big Tech Stole Your Identity—and the New Model That Takes It Back by Raj Ananthanpillai is now available on Amazon and at major booksellers. The book is published with Forbes Books, the exclusive business book publishing imprint of Forbes.
Trust has become one of the most valuable commodities in the digital and AI economy, and one of the most endangered. In The Trust Crisis, entrepreneur, inventor, digital trust expert, and founder and CEO of Trua, Raj Ananthanpillai, examines how decades of data collection, identity verification practices, and institutional reliance on centralized information systems have created a growing emergency of data breaches, privacy, security, and confidence.
Ananthanpillai brings to this work decades of experience designing identity, screening, and risk-management systems for government agencies, enterprises, and global organizations. From that place of authority, he argues that the modern approach to identity verification is fundamentally broken. Every day, individuals are asked to repeatedly surrender sensitive personal information to organizations that store, share, and often fail to protect it. The result is an ecosystem increasingly vulnerable to data breaches, identity theft, fraud, and manipulation.
As artificial intelligence accelerates the rise of deepfakes, synthetic identities, and large-scale digital deception, the risks continue to swell. Ananthanpillai contends that simply adding more regulations, compliance requirements, or cybersecurity spending will not solve the underlying problem. Instead, he proposes a new model centered on individual ownership and control of personal information.
“We need a ‘Trust Credential for Life’ and a supportive Trust Bureau to make it work,” Ananthanpillai said. “The Trust Credential is essentially your digital passport for all identity and background verification needs. Instead of handing over your Social Security number, driver’s license, passport, and a file of background check documents to every entity that asks, you would have one reusable digital credential issued after a thorough verification of your identity and records that you have agency over it. Paired with a neutral Trust Bureau, a secure platform modeled after credit bureaus, businesses can verify your identity and background without ever requesting or storing your personal information. This eliminates data breach risks, reduces compliance burdens, and gives consumers real control over their data and privacy. That is the ultimate win-win solution we should offer for both consumers and businesses.”
Written for consumers, business leaders, policymakers, and technology professionals alike, The Trust Crisis challenges long-held assumptions about privacy, security, and identity while presenting a vision for a safer and more trustworthy digital future.
This release is posted on behalf of Forbes Books (operated by Advantage Media Group under license).
About Raj Ananthanpillai
Raj Ananthanpillai is a serial entrepreneur, investor, inventor, and founder and CEO of Trua, where he is building privacy-preserving digital credentials that give individuals control over their identities. He has founded and scaled multiple technology companies, delivering mission-critical risk and identity solutions for public sector and global enterprises. Ananthanpillai holds two master’s degrees in electrical engineering and engineering physics, is the inventor on multiple U.S. patents, author of two prior books, and advises organizations and governments on digital trust, security, and identity systems. He resides in the Washington, D.C. area.
About Forbes Books
Founded in 2016 in partnership with Advantage Media Group, Forbes Books is the exclusive book publishing imprint of Forbes Media. Forbes Books offers business and thought leaders a way to share their ideas and expertise with the world. Authors are carefully vetted to ensure their stories and insights align with the Forbes mission of driving success through innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. For more information, visit books.forbes.com.
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