Saagar Kote
Cyberspace has driven some of the most significant advancements in human civilization over the last two decades. In a world dominated by rapid growth in internet-related businesses, economies have been altered by technological forces. With the ongoing, unimaginable growth in cyber applications, more individuals have gained access to vast knowledge and networks. Despite the positives that the internet offers, it comes with its fair share of risks. In the social media era, cybercrime has emerged as a major threat to fundamental human rights and a blatant violation of legal standards across the world.
Be it deep fakes, instances of stalking, cyberbullying, blackmail, or hacking, these crimes often lead to devastating consequences for the victims. Hackers can disrupt the functioning of economies, tap into private conversations, or even disrupt the flow of supply chains with just a few lines of code. In this list, we bring you movies and shows streaming on Netflix that shed light on the complexities of cybercrime and hacking.
16. The Takeover (2022)
Directed by Annemarie van de Mond, ‘The Takeover’ delves into the actions of Mel Bandison (Holly Mae Brood), an ethical hacker who works independently. During one of her hacks, she successfully takes down a threat, which leads to major problems for an international criminal network. The criminal entity starts to target the ethical hacker, eventually leading to her being falsely charged with murder. She finds herself in the middle of a great game, where the criminals track her every move, hoping to get revenge for her actions.
On the run, Mel’s only companion is Thomas Deen (Géza Weisz), who is her date from the previous night. She now faces an uphill battle as she tries to escape the criminals, as well as the cops who want her for the murder case. As the threat unravels, Mel must do everything in her power to survive. Netflix’s Dutch crime thriller drama film is a haunting examination of the world of hackers, along with the elements of crime, freedom, and morality in the digital world. You can watch it here.
15. Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare (2024)
Netflix’s ‘Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare’ deals with the life of Kirat Assi, an ambitious British woman who experiences a strange connection with an enigmatic individual on social media. She receives a friend request from a person named Bobby Jandu, who eventually confesses his love to her. However, he refuses to see her face-to-face. What starts as a lovely internet friendship descends into chaos as Bobby starts controlling her, showing signs of obsession.
The British documentary film presents perspectives from both Kirat and Bobby as they discuss their realities. While Kirat wishes to expose Bobby, he claims that he doesn’t even know her. Kirat’s difficult journey may reveal unexpected truths that may change her life forever. Directed by Lyttanya Shannon, the narrative is a dark portrayal of a woman’s struggles in the internet era, accompanied by real footage. Kirat’s harrowing battle against catfishing, based on Tortoise Media’s podcast ‘Sweet Bobby,’ is available on Netflix.
14. CTRL (2024)
Netflix’s ‘CTRL’ revolves around Nalini Awasthi AKA Nella (Ananya Panday) and Joe Mascarenhas (Vihaan Samat), an influencer couple who are deeply in love. They achieve fame at a young age, sharing their love story with their followers. But the whole story turns upside down when Joe cheats on Nella publicly, leading to an uncomfortable breakup. Owing to worsening mental health due to the incident, Nella seeks help from an AI application to delete Joe’s digital presence from her life.
The AI application, with Nella’s consent, takes control and gradually erases Joe’s digital footprints from her online presence. However, when Joe himself goes missing, Nella is left with more questions than answers. Finding Joe would also mean that Nella has to accept a difficult reality. Helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the Indian Hindi-language thriller film is a poignant navigation of the flaws of artificial intelligence, the element of technological domination, and the cost of privacy in the modern world. The Hindi-language movie is streaming here.
13. Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet (2022)
‘Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet’ chronicles five distinct stories related to the world of cybercrime. It follows the experiences of different individuals who are either directly or indirectly related to incidents of tax fraud, murder, and other crimes. The internet becomes a dangerous space for individuals to control the lives of others, bullying them into actions against their will. The issues the documentary series chronicles range from conspiracy theories, digital misinformation, hate speech, online blackmail, tax fraud, and hacking.
Through real footage, interviews, and expert opinions, we gain a deeper understanding of certain truths that may have significant implications for the future. Created by Brian Knappenberger, the Netflix series explores unique stories in unsettling ways and is an intriguing take on the dangers of technological advancement. You may witness it here.
12. Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror (2022)
‘Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror’ follows a disturbing story of blackmail. Netflix’s Korean documentary film revolves around the actions of a mysterious online network of chat rooms, known as the “Nth Room,” which is involved in nefarious crimes. The enigmatic chat rooms, operated by one or more individuals, target vulnerable teenagers and others, forcing them to record pornographic videos and share them. They threaten the victims with the release of private information, leading them to share nude content.
As the cops and authorities try to capture those responsible for the sex crimes and trafficking operations, the elusive entity seems increasingly challenging to track. The documentary, written and directed by Choi Jin-sung (or Choi Jin-seong), offers a relevant and grounded examination of the vulnerability of internet users, the intersection of crime and digital space, and a relentless pursuit of truth. It can be enjoyed on Netflix.
11. The Most Hated Man on the Internet (2022)
Netflix’s documentary series ‘The Most Hated Man on the Internet‘ explores the actions of Hunter Moore, a man running a website to share and collect compromising images of women. The website works as a hub for revenge porn, allowing frustrated individuals to post pictures, a process through which Hunter earns money. He goes on tormenting his targets until a steadfast mother named Charlotte Laws decides to fight against his atrocity to avenge the website’s posting of her daughter’s nude pictures. Charlotte joins other activists fighting the fight and wages a battle against the odds to bring Hunter and others to justice. Directed by Rob Miller, Netflix’s documentary series offers a nuanced portrayal of a woman’s fight for justice, complemented by real footage and multiple perspectives on the harsh reality of cybercrime. The story unravels here.
10. Lover, Stalker, Killer (2024)
In ‘Lover, Stalker, Killer,’ an unassuming mechanic named Dave Kroupa enters the realm of online dating for the first time in his life. Just looking to have fun and pursue casual flings, he comes across Cari Farver. He tells her that he wants a casual experience and nothing more, following which the two get intimate. However, once Dave starts pursuing other women, Cari begins to obsessively stalk him to the point of danger. She starts blackmailing him online, keeping track of his movements, and threatens to destroy his life, to prevent him from growing close to other women.
This leads to the intervention of the cops, as they try to stop this ordeal and hopefully bring Cari to justice. Netflix’s documentary film, directed by Sam Hobkinson, is a riveting and disturbing account of real events told through the perspectives of the victim and the police officers striving to solve the case of online harassment. It can be discovered on Netflix.
9. The Great Hack (2019)
‘The Great Hack’ unravels the mystery behind the functioning and purpose of Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm with ties to Donald Trump’s election campaign before the 2016 US presidential election and the Brexit movement in the UK, which reportedly uses several data points to target social media users online. Netflix’s documentary film centers on Cambridge Analytica’s alleged efforts to collect user data from social media companies and other platforms to influence voters’ decisions through targeted social media campaigns.
The narrative reveals the perspectives of various experts. It sheds light on the efforts of journalists to uncover the truth about Cambridge Analytica’s alleged role in manipulating voter behavior, effectively undermining the democratic process of voting. The narrative is an engrossing watch that delves into the core issues of the dangers posed by the online space, specifically social media, in the modern world. The documentary directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer is available here.
8. Zero Day (2025)
Netflix’s ‘Zero Day’ revolves around the aftermath of a devastating global cyber attack that leads to the deaths of thousands. George Mullen (Robert De Niro), an aging former president of the US, is tasked by the current president, Evelyn Mitchell (Angela Bassett), to head a commission dedicated to investigating the cyber attack. Given extrajudicial and seemingly limitless powers to detain anyone involved, George begins to examine the complex case. As he and his team make progress, shocking truths and secrets lurk in the shadows, threatening to upend the very nature of America’s Democracy.
As his own psychological issues challenge him, George is forced to navigate bureaucratic and systemic conditions to get to the truth before the threat escalates. Created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael S. Schmidt, the thriller-drama series is an engaging tale of surveillance and control. The show, with its commentary on democratic values, the extremes of the internet, and the complexities of cyber communication, is streaming on Netflix.
7. The Tinder Swindler (2022)
‘The Tinder Swindler’ sheds light on the efforts of female victims to get justice. Netflix’s documentary film follows the actions of a mysterious man known only as “The Tinder Swindler.” He befriends women through the Tinder dating app by targeting their vulnerabilities. Once he gets physically and emotionally intimate with them, he spins stories to make them give him money, claiming it is due to financial emergencies. The show chronicles the experiences of some of his victims, who were tricked into paying him significant sums of money, after which he abandoned them.
As the women find out that the man they thought they connected with may not even be a real person, they set out to turn the tables on him and expose him instead. Directed by Felicity Morris, the narrative is a haunting tale of the dangers of social media, the micro-economic elements of cybercrime, and the cost of justice in such cases. It can be viewed here.
6. Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard (2022)
Netflix’s ‘Skandal! Bringing Down Wirecard’ is a documentary film that centers on the investigations into the functioning of a German payments and finance company called Wirecard. It achieves initial success in the market, surprising industry professionals. However, the impossible success looks too good to be true. This is when a team of reporters, headed by Dan McCrum of Financial Times, heads out to investigate the happenings within Wirecard.
The film details a six-year investigation that exposed a web of lies and corruption, as well as the extreme tactics Wirecard employed to silence the story and target the newspaper’s reputation. The riveting narrative follows heroic efforts by the journalists to bring the truth out at any cost, while also facing credible threats against their integrity. Directed by James Erskine, the engrossing story unfolds on Netflix.
5. Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord (2021)
In the documentary film ‘Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord,’ Maximilian Schmidt, aka Shiny Flakes, reveals his perspectives on crime. The narrative focuses on his words as he explains how he was able to build a drug empire as a teenager and used the internet to achieve this. Netflix’s German film also sheds light on the views of the authorities involved in the investigation of the drug case and how it inspired the creation of the TV show ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast).’
Maximilian finds himself in the middle of one of the biggest drug busts in Germany, after which he talks about the wonders of the internet and how it is full of customers intending to buy narcotics. As the cops compare Maximilian’s ideas to those of an Amazon-like website for drugs, shocking truths emerge from the teenager. Helmed by Eva Müller and Michael Schmitt, the captivating account of the unlikely teenager is available here.
4. The Social Dilemma (2020)
‘The Social Dilemma’ gives us the perspectives of several experts from the world of technology and social media. The docudrama film offers a deep dive into the ways in which corporations, social media platforms, and computer experts monitor the online activities of users worldwide and allegedly exploit their psychological vulnerabilities against them. The core of the narrative revolves around the negative effects of social media, the manipulation and design of human behavior, and the broader sociopolitical threats posed by social networking.
The Netflix film also chronicles the evolution of social media and search engines from simple tools to complex algorithms capable of influencing human behavior. The documentary is both an informative work and a warning sign against the expansion of digital reality. Jeff Orlowski’s directorial can be enjoyed on Netflix.
3. How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (2019-2025)
Netflix’s ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’ focuses on the experiences of Moritz Zimmerman (Maximilian Mundt), a teenager and a high-school student who carves his own path to success. To impress his former lover, Lisa Novak (Lena Klenke), he seeks help from his friend Lenny Sander (Danilo Kamperidis) to set up a dangerous business system. Moritz makes a deal with an ecstasy seller to supply drugs online and uses his technological skills to set up a drug website and sell narcotics to the youth. What starts as a simple business plan to earn some cash descends into a larger and chaotic scenario of drugs and crime through the internet.
Moritz and Lenny realize that they are now part of a bigger game and may need to worry about the real cost of their online drug business. Created by Philipp Kässbohrer and Matthias Murmann, the German crime drama series, loosely inspired by real events, is a nuanced portrayal of youth, crime, the internet, and the negative effects of digital selling platforms. You may find the show here.
2. The Billion Dollar Code (2021)
‘The Billion Dollar Code’ navigates the trials and tribulations of Carsten Schlüter (Leonard Scheicher) and Juri Müller (Marius Ahrendt), two talented young men with an eye for innovation. They developed their own codes in the 1990s to create an image-mapping system, which provides a satellite view of places around the world. However, years later, they find themselves in a complex scenario when Google launches the popular system called “Google Earth.” The innovators, who are now middle-aged men, decide to battle against the odds and file a case against Google for copying their technological innovation to create Google Earth.
As the economics and morality of the case take unexpected turns, the series shifts between the past and present to narrate important events in the lives of the two men. Based on real happenings, Netflix’s German drama series is a powerful and adrenaline-fueled take on intellectual property rights in the world of the internet and technology. Directed by Robert Thalheim and written by Oliver Ziegenbalg, the show is available on Netflix.
1. Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (2019)
‘Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer’ tells the story of several individuals who go beyond their limits to track down and capture a mysterious individual who uses the internet anonymously to post disturbing videos of cats being murdered. Netflix’s documentary series follows a manhunt for a mysterious individual, who is tracked by a group of people on the internet, seeking to ensure justice for animals. When the perpetrator posts a video of a cat being murdered by an ice pick, the chaos intensifies. Several internet sleuths rally from different parts of America and the world to somehow track down the killer before more cats or people are killed.
With fake clues about the criminal flooding the internet, the search becomes increasingly difficult. Written and directed by Mark Lewis, the show also comments on the ways in which the internet and social media are used to spread disturbing videos to satisfy the violent urges of troubled individuals. As the internet warriors observe every clue about the murderers, capturing the perpetrator may take a true miracle. You can witness the engaging and thrilling documentary series here.
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