Israeli Thriller 'Trust No One' Is About Modern Cyber Warfare, Techno-Anxieties

 The Israeli espionage thriller 'Trust No One' is set to have its world premiere at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

It marries the pedigree and primetime polish of past series like 'Traitor' and 'Valley of Tears' with techno-anxieties tied to the here-and-now, specifically with regard to the security state and modern cyber warfare, reports Variety.

"Israel has become one of the largest global exporters of spy ware," said co-creator Daniel Amsel. "Only, those technological weapons can undermine democracy and lead to the death of truth. So we wanted to thread those very sensitive topics into an entertaining and fast-paced thriller that deals with the loneliness of leadership and the difficulties of parenthood, among other themes."

As per Variety, created by Amsel alongside Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, directed by Ofir Lobel, and distributed by Keshet International, the nine-part drama follows Itamar, the youngest ever head of Israel's Shin Bet security agency turned target of a cyber-security leak.

As promised by the title, the series ratchets up the paranoia scene-for-scene once Itamar finds himself alienated from (and suspicious of) the full security apparatus serving under him.

"Nobody's spared in this age of AI, deep-fakes and all-powerful surveillance," said Amsel. "Even if you're surrounded by the most sophisticated defence system, nobody is safe. Not even the head of the biggest security agency in the Middle East. We thought to explore how the most secretive people in the world react to a time when sharing has become our second nature and privacy no longer exists."

"We have all willingly given up privacy in the name of comfort, and today every possible bit of date is but a few clicks away. That offers a fresh way into an intelligence agency drama, especially when you dive into the character's point of view," he added.