A distressing new Netflix docuseries carrying a harrowing message has just dropped on the streaming service.
Back in 2021, a Statista survey concluded that around 11 percent of US-based adults had experienced cyberstalking.
Moreover, a 2023 study conducted by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in the UK found that a whopping 77 percent of respondents aged 16-24 had experienced some sort of stalking in their daily lives.
If you’re unfamiliar with cyberstalking, then you need to know that it’s an act of weaponising social media or another form of electronic communication to harass or scare victims.
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This type of online tracking is a serious crime and may see perpetrators being reprimanded and later sentenced to serve time behind bars.
Matthew Hardy from Chester is one of those cyberstalkers who used social media to terrorise women.
His actions eventually landed him a nine-year jail sentence for five counts of stalking, which was later reduced to eight years on appeal.
The unemployed man and his victims are the subject of a new Netflix documentary, entitled Can I Tell You A Secret?. You can watch the trailer below:
The two-part, real-life series tells the story of various women who were targeted by Hardy.
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The true crime offering also reveals exactly how Matthew would torment the women, including the fake guises he would use to send intimate photos to people in their lives.
Alongside interviews with numerous victims, the docu-series features police testimonials as well as discussions with Matthew’s school friends.
Can I Tell You A Secret? also explores the aftermath of cyberstalking as well as the struggles that the victims now contend with in their daily lives.
The limited offering has been created by Louis Theroux’s production company Mindhouse and is based on real-life events and The Guardian’s seven-episode podcast of the same name.
Can I Tell You A Secret?’s executive producer Nancy Strang has opened up about how the documentary can help others.
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She said: “Hardy’s long campaign of harassment has had a lasting and profound impact on the women he targeted.
“I hope their testimonies will shed light on the reality of online stalking and change the conversation about what constitutes harm in a digital age.”
Following the documentary dropping on Netflix, many viewers have taken to social media to express the profound effect it had on them.
Posting their sentiment to X, one fan wrote: “ Just watched Can I tell you a secret? on Netflix. Harrowing.
“Had to stop it a few times. The effect stalking can have on someone’s life is immeasurable. So - politely - anyone that’s ever had a go at me on here for being private can go f’ themselves. You have no idea.”
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A second viewer commented: “Just started watching Can I tell you a secret? On Netflix. This is freaky as hell. This person is an absolute weirdo.”
Another user said: “Can I Tell You a Secret? goes out on Netflix today. Thanks to the women who bravely told their stories and to the whole team who worked on it.”
You can watch both parts of Can I Tell You A Secret? on Netflix now.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Crime, Netflix, Real Life, Social media, True Crime, Entertainment, Documentaries