Top movies and series about hacking and cybersecurity to watch this summer

This summer might look and feel a bit different as many of us might be spending more time indoors than usual. Luckily there are plenty of streaming services to help keep us entertained. If you’ve been wondering what movies and TV series are worth watching on Netflix, HBO, Amazon, or other streaming platforms, we’ve got some answers.

Last time, we gave you some recommendations of documentaries about the internet and cybersecurity to introduce you topics like privacy, hacking, data breaches, and more. Now we have options that show you how all those terms and practices find their way into our day-to-day. Some of the movies are based on true events, while others deal with current issues surrounding technology. And, of course, some are more accurate than others – but decades ago people also wouldn’t have believed much of what’s possible because of today’s technology.

Here’s our second list of top movies and series to watch this summer about hacking and cybersecurity.

1. You

The first season of ”You” is set in modern-day New York City. Joe Goldberg, the main character, is a serial killer and former bookstore manager. He starts to develop an extreme, toxic, and delusional obsession for a girl and takes his love to extreme heights with a big help from social media. ”You” explores the dangers of stalking and social media culture, emphasizing the lack of digital privacy. There is a big chance this movie will make you delete your social media accounts forever or at least make you think twice before sharing some personal news.

2. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Cyber Attacks

This documentary is a story from 2015 when the online dating platform, Ashley Madison (“The Original Extramarital Affairs Site”), was hacked and the data of 27 million users of the page was disclosed on the internet. Besides the fact that the hackers exposed users’ emails, names, postal addresses, sexual fantasies, and credit card details, the leak tore apart families and even drove some people to suicide. The magnitude of technology was shown as the vast majority of the “women” registered on the web were actually robots.

3. Mr. Robot

First things first, you should know that this is not one of those shows where an actor types furiously on a keyboard, utters some mumbo-jumbo about firewalls, and then proclaims “I’m in!”. “Mr. Robot” was created with the support of technical advisors who went to great pains to accurately portray information security and data privacy. Long story short, Elliot is a young programmer by day and a vigilante hacker by night. The situation gets complicated when he is recruited by a cryptic anarchist to ruin the company he is paid to protect.

4. The Circle

In recent years, there’s been lots of hype around Big Brother, microchip implantation, and mass surveillance. And this is the movie that shows you how transparency and privacy can be taken to a new level. Released in 2017, the main cast of “The Circle” includes Emma Watson (“Harry Potter”), Tom Hanks (“Sully”), and John Boyega (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”). Mae, played by Watson, gets a job in IT at the world’s largest and most powerful tech and social media company. Convinced by the company’s founder, she agrees to participate in an experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics, and ultimately her personal freedom.

5. Disconnect

We can all relate to how the internet has an ever-increasing impact on people’s lives. Released in 2013, “Disconnect” brings the audience three different, and yet somehow overlapping, storylines: a victim who suffers from cyberbullying, a lawyer who communicates constantly through his cell phone but can’t find time to connect with his family, and a couple whose secrets are exposed online. An interesting aspect of the movie is that all the conflicts and relationships stem from laptops, iPads, and cell phones. Watch “Disconnect” to discover the gulf between online and real-world interactions.

6. Untraceable (2008)

This movie takes people’s desire for social media likes and the need for sensationalism and entertainment to another level. An FBI cybercrime division is on the hunt for a tech-savvy killer who posts videos of his victims online. The world watches the killings via live streaming; the more people view his site, the faster the victim dies. How do you catch a killer who is untraceable?