Movies Similar to A Counter-History of the Internet

Vitalik: An Ethereum Story(2024)

Chronicles tech visionary Vitalik Buterin and Ethereum's community of builders as they fight for an open internet accessible to all.

5.0

Finding Satoshi(2022)

With only a photograph and a name, a group of passionate puzzle players have been trying without success to answer the question: "Who is this man?" Finding Satoshi is a playful documentary that finally solves the 14 year mystery.

8.0

Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy(2024)

This subversive documentary unpacks the tricks brands use to keep their customers consuming — and the real impact they have on our lives and the world.

6.7

In the Realm of the Hackers(2003)

In The Realm of the Hackers is a documentary about the prominent hacker community, centered in Melbourne, Australia in the late 80's to early 1990. The storyline is centered around the Australian teenagers going by the hacker names "Electron" and "Phoenix", who were members of an elite computer hacking group called The Realm and hacked into some of the most secure computer networks in the world, including those of the US Naval Research Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a government lab charged with the security of the US nuclear stockpile, and NASA.

6.4

Cyberbunker: The Criminal Underworld(2023)

This documentary reveals how a group of hackers powered the darkest corners of the internet from a Cold War-era bunker in a quiet German tourist town.

6.9

It's Yours: A Film on Hip-Hop and the Internet(2020)

By the dawn of the 21st century, hip-hop sales had reached an all-time high, but one thing has remained the same. The doors were still locked, and the music industry held the keys. Young artists began to self-market on the Internet, ultimately helping to collapse the music industry as we knew it. It’s Yours explores how it became possible to become a rap star through a Twitter account, YouTube site or Myspace page. It tells this story through the unique perspectives of numerous artists, producers, record industry insiders, and music and cultural critics.

2.0

We Live in Public(2009)

In 1999, Internet entrepreneur Josh Harris recruits dozens of young men and women who agree to live in underground apartments for weeks at a time while their every movement is broadcast online. Soon, Harris and his girlfriend embark on their own subterranean adventure, with cameras streaming live footage of their meals, arguments, bedroom activities, and bathroom habits. This documentary explores the role of technology in our lives, as it charts the fragile nature of dot-com economy.

7.0

Revolution OS(2001)

REVOLUTION OS tells the inside story of the hackers who rebelled against the proprietary software model and Microsoft to create GNU/Linux and the Open Source movement.

6.9

The Social Dilemma(2020)

This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

7.4

Guardians of the New World(2017)

Guardians of the New World introduces us to the world of hacker culture. Emerging from the 70’s counterculture around conceptions of personal freedom, decentralisation of power and sharing, hacking really came to prominence with the emergence of the Internet as a ubiquitous public forum from the late 90’s onwards.

0.0

Winnebago Man(2010)

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of - after cursing his way through a Winnebago sales video, Rebney's outrageously funny outtakes became an underground sensation and made him an internet superstar. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer journeys to the top of a mountain to find the recluse who unwittingly became the "Winnebago Man".

6.6

The Truth About Webcam Girls(2014)

A documentary that follows three women who perform via webcam to paying customers.

5.8

The Crazy Che(2015)

The incredible story of Bill Gaede, an Argentinian engineer, programmer… and Cold War spy.

6.8

Startup.com(2001)

Friends since high school, 20-somethings Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman have an idea: a Web site for people to conduct business with municipal governments. This documentary tracks the rise and fall of govWorks.com from May of 1999 to December of 2000, and the trials the business brings to the relationship of these best friends. Kaleil raises the money, Tom's the technical chief. A third partner wants a buy out; girlfriends come and go; Tom's daughter needs attention. And always the need for cash and for improving the site. Venture capital comes in by the millions. Kaleil is on C-SPAN, CNN, and magazine covers. Will the business or the friendship crash first?

6.7

The Cleaners(2018)

A deep dive into the hidden industry of digital cleaning, which rids the Internet of unwanted violence, porn and political content.

7.2

Wi-Find: Downloading Our Future(2023)

It's a genius story that all started with a silly word, Google. While most may know Google, few know the story of the revolution's geniuses. Follow masterminds, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, whose brilliance has forever changed the world.

7.0

Free Child(2020)

From leaving Egypt 10 years ago, to almost dying a month ago in a car accident. This film is about the journey in between and the massive role the internet played in the life of prominent Youtuber and Yes Theory co-founder Ammar Kandil.

9.0

Hackers: Outlaws and Angels(2002)

This program reveals the daily battle between the Internet’s outlaws and the hackers who oppose them by warding off system attacks, training IT professionals and police officers, and watching cyberspace for signs of imminent infowar. Through interviews with frontline personnel from the Department of Defense, NYPD’s computer crime squad, private detective firm Kroll Associates, X-Force Threat Analysis Service, and several notorious crackers, the program provides penetrating insights into the millions of hack attacks that occur annually in the U.S.—including one that affected the phone bills of millions and another that left confidential details of the B-1 stealth bomber in the hands of teenagers. The liabilities of wireless networks, the Code Red worm, and online movie piracy are also discussed. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)

7.8

We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists(2012)

Takes us inside the world of Anonymous, the radical "hacktivist" collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age. The film explores early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater, then moves to Anonymous' raucous beginnings on the website 4chan. Through interviews with current members, people recently returned from prison or facing trial, writers, academics, activists and major players in various "raids," the documentary traces Anonymous’ evolution from merry pranksters to a full-blown movement with a global reach, the most transformative civil disobedience of our time.

7.2

Tracking Russian Hackers(2018)

Amid the growing threat of cyberattacks from Russian hackers, this film dives into their origins, motives, and the dangers they pose to their targets.

8.0