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The Guardian

It starts the same way... A seemingly innocent message from someone who appears to be a young woman: ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ But as this six-part podcast explores, people are rarely their true selves online – and one man took it much further. What happened when this cyberstalker wreaked havoc across the internet and ruined people’s lives. And why did he do it? Can I Tell You A Secret - a Guardian podcast series about obsession, fear, and the lives we lead online

Can I tell you a secret?

It starts the same way … A seemingly innocent message from someone who appears to be a young woman: ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ But as this six-part investigative podcast explores, people are rarely their true selves online – and one man took it much further. What happened when this cyberstalker wreaked havoc across the internet and ruined people’s lives for over a decade? And why did he do it? Can I Tell You A Secret? is a Guardian podcast series about obsession, fear and the lives we lead online. Coming soon: search wherever you get your podcasts

The Guardian’s new investigative podcast: Can I Tell You A Secret? – trailer

Guardian journalist Sirin Kale takes us to a small town in the north of England to uncover how one man began a decade of cyberstalking

Can I tell you a secret? Episode one: the beginning

As the cyberstalker spreads his net wider, anyone could be a target. The fast-changing world of social media creates new opportunities for him to find more victims. Only now, someone is watching him …

Can I tell you a secret? Episode two: the widening circle

Who is Matthew? Journalist Sirin Kale looks for clues about who this cyberstalker really is and why he creates chaos and fear in so many people’s lives

Can I tell you a secret? Episode three: the man upstairs

Matthew’s victims come face to face with him as an attempt is made to stop his torment once and for all

Can I tell you a secret? Episode four: a reckoning

Journalist Sirin Kale meets Matthew’s mother to uncover more about his past, and find out what might have motivated him to cyberstalk his victims for so many years

Can I tell you a secret? Episode five: a mother’s love

As the years tick by, journalist Sirin Kale speaks to victims and those who know Matthew to ask whether his stalking will ever truly end

Can I tell you a secret? Episode six: the winding clock

Guardian producer Lucy Hough and reporter Matthew Weaver give an update on the outcome of Matthew Hardy’s appeal

Can I tell you a secret? Episode seven: an update

We wanted to tell you about another Guardian podcast series from our colleagues in Australia. Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, is suing three of the country’s most trusted newspapers for defamation over articles he says falsely accuse him of war crimes. Whatever the outcome, the ramifications will be immense for public interest journalism, Australia’s military and a man venerated as a modern-day war hero. Search for ‘Ben Roberts-Smith v the media’, wherever you get your podcasts

Can I tell you a secret? Ben Roberts-Smith v the media – podcast trailer

We wanted to bring you this episode from our new series, Black Box. In it, Michael Safi explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him? If you like what you hear, make sure to search and subscribe to Black Box, with new episodes every Monday and Thursday.

Can I tell you a secret? Episode three: the man upstairs

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