Ashley Madison Data Dump

WestCoastRunner · August 23, 2015

There's certainly a concern, Big Guy. I have heard that Saudi Arabia may be using data obtained through the Ashley Madison leak to identify gay people. Since homosexuality is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, this data leak could potentially result in peoples' death (unlike the imaginary spies allegedly put at risk by Edward Snowden...)

MSJ wrote earlier about the gay businessman who was outed by Gawker after an escort tried to blackmail him. That was appalling journalism. There was no public interest served by that story. That news story served to further the ends of a blackmailer. (The only matter of public interest that came out of the story was the discovery that Ted Cruz's office was helping the gay escort find legal resources to fight his eviction. That's right... a story involving anti-gay bigotry where Ted Cruz turned out to be the only decent person involved. How weird is that?)

-k

This was exactly my point. Why do we feel it's ok to bring out the popcorn and amuse ourselves? This story has far reaching impact on families that will inevitably suffer in the public eye.

We should be ashamed that we are indulging in this exploitation.

WestCoastRunner · August 23, 2015

Is this thread even in the right category?

CITIZEN_2015 · August 23, 2015

Damn religious fanatics and morality crusaders. They have their command from God and can do anything including destroying lives and families and killings even sometimes all in the name of their God to achieve their evil goals. I don't even remotely support or encourage adultery but what happened to privacy, freedom and choice and those who choose to do so it is their choice and up to no damn good crusader to punish them. They did nothing illegal. So what is next? The gay sites? Or escort sites? or even this site to be attacked/hacked?

First likely related suicide

http://www.inquisitr.com/2359051/ashley-madison-suicide-man-on-hacked-list-kills-himself-as-users-try-to-remove-their-names-from-ashley-madison-leaked-list/

Edited August 23, 2015 by CITIZEN_2015

WestCoastRunner · August 23, 2015

Damn religious fanatics and morality crusaders. They have their command from God and can do anything including destroying lives and families and killings even sometimes all in the name of their god to achieve their evil goals. I don't even remotely support or encourage adultery but those who choose to do so it is their choice and up to no damn good crusader to punish them. They did nothing illegal.

I do think that not everyone thought of the ramifications of this hack.

bush_cheney2004 · August 23, 2015

I can't believe that members of the Canadian House of Lords used this dubious service.

Agreed...I can't believe than anyone would be stupid enough to join this cite and volunteer personal information.

WestCoastRunner · August 23, 2015

I can't believe that members of the Canadian House of Lords used this dubious service.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/08/22/leaked-ashley-madison-name-matches-senators

Seems a bit naive that you would think so.

Scott Mayers · August 24, 2015

With all our losses in privacy even by our governments, I propose that we simply find some laws that prevent ones from using information in any means as tools for governments or anyone from utilizing them. I also propose we require government officials or any entities using information founded publicly to require being on an equal surveillance 24/7 to be allowed such rights.

I'm guessing that we cannot defeat these violations by anyone. And so it would be wise to merely downplay its significance. Such hacking is likely political. I fear that it may only excuse governments to open up more leniency for laws that enable them to spy without accountability. And it wouldn't surprise me if even such political interests were just as likely behind this hacking for this sole reason.

msj · August 24, 2015

I can't believe that members of the Canadian House of Lords used this dubious service.

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/08/22/leaked-ashley-madison-name-matches-senators

To think it was only yesterday when you were patting your own back for being a hero not mentioning any names.

And here we are with you providing a link to a name.

And where is Tim to defend this senator?

Hypocrisy abounds.

BC_chick · August 24, 2015

Is this thread even in the right category?

I didn't notice until you pointed it out. Too funny.

msj · August 24, 2015

With all our losses in privacy even by our governments, I propose that we simply find some laws that prevent ones from using information in any means as tools for governments or anyone from utilizing them. I also propose we require government officials or any entities using information founded publicly to require being on an equal surveillance 24/7 to be allowed such rights.

I'm guessing that we cannot defeat these violations by anyone. And so it would be wise to merely downplay its significance. Such hacking is likely political. I fear that it may only excuse governments to open up more leniency for laws that enable them to spy without accountability. And it wouldn't surprise me if even such political interests were just as likely behind this hacking for this sole reason.

Always has to be someone to come along to try and change the focus and blame the government.

Ashley Madison is a private company that made various promises for which it now appears they have utterly failed to keep: protecting ones confidential information, destroying ones information after being directed to do it and paid to do it, making up females and deriving revenue from fake female accounts are the main allegations.

The government did not hack AM. It was an inside job from a disgruntled scorned/cuckholded employee.

This is not a failure of government; it is yet another failure of private business.

socialist · August 24, 2015

To think it was only yesterday when you were patting your own back for being a hero not mentioning any names.

And here we are with you providing a link to a name.

And where is Tim to defend this senator?

Hypocrisy abounds.

I simply provided a link that mentioned a name. I'm not relishing or getting my jollies from it like kimmy did.

TimG · August 24, 2015

And where is Tim to defend this senator?

I see you are incapable of understanding nuance in an argument and choose to insert your own preconceptions instead actually reading what as said.

In this case my argument was: AM accounts can be faked as can credit cards therefore one should not assume that the presence of an account with a credit card means a person is guilty. I said quite specifically that I could not care less who the guy kimmy was gloating over was and was hardly defending him.

Edited August 24, 2015 by TimG

msj · August 24, 2015

This was exactly my point. Why do we feel it's ok to bring out the popcorn and amuse ourselves? This story has far reaching impact on families that will inevitably suffer in the public eye.

We should be ashamed that we are indulging in this exploitation.

Do I feel bad for the gay Saudi who may face death if found out?

Sure, I don't want anyone to die over something that like this.

Let's hope this leads to something positive like yet another Middle Eastern person being saved by the West because we ignore various ignorant, inhumane passages from a POS book.

Let's further hope that he is part of the continued brain drain from the ME to the West allowing us to continue our hegemony.

Alas, I'm not responsible for submitting the information to a business with a terrible business model like AM nor am I responsible for the leak so no I am not going to be cowed or made to feel bad for enjoying the show (nom nom nom. Mmmm popcorn)

msj · August 24, 2015

I simply provided a link that mentioned a name. I'm not relishing or getting my jollies from it like kimmy did.

No, of course not, I'm sure.

eyeball · August 24, 2015

Some married people don't consider a company deliberately enticing people to have secret affairs to be a public service....or maybe I'm too boring to risk turning my comfortable life upside down...who knows! I have nothing against people living whatever lifestyles they want to pursue....if they want to have affairs, then they need to tell their partners and maybe present a case for open marriage or something, but I hope Ashley Madison goes under....and I don't even feel that sorry for all of the clandestine clients cheating and trying to screw around, thinking their information was secret!

You have to feel sorry for the scorned spouses and partners harmed by the hacker's revelations though. Sparing people that is probably the best argument for breaking down "traditional family values" and acting more like the polygamous monkeys we likely evolved from.

I can't help but recall what someone said about the first person who lives to be a thousand years old is already alive now - the technological and medical breakthroughs that extend our lives will if it already hasn't challenge more people's adherence to monogamy over time not less.

Edited August 24, 2015 by eyeball

msj · August 24, 2015

I see you are incapable of understanding nuance in an argument and choose to insert your own preconceptions instead actually reading what as said.In this case my argument was: AM accounts can be faked as can credit cards therefore one should not assume that the presence of an account with a credit card means a person is guilty. I said quite specifically that I could not care less who the guy kimmy was gloating over was and was hardly defending him.

I'm not so dumb, nor is you're argument so intelligent, that this is not already stating the obvious again and again and again.

Of course it can be faked. Like freaking duh already.

And I will continue to take in the show, for the show must go on, while people twist in the wind.

It's not like I'm out there throwing stones at these people.

Nor am I even giving them dirty looks across the fence in the backyard.

So you and WCR can stop with the morality garbage and get off your high horses.

We are entertained, nothing more nor less so BFD.

Edited August 24, 2015 by msj

eyeball · August 24, 2015

60% of men and 45% of women cheat in a marriage. So should we expose this many people to public exposure when the behaviour is so prevalent?

We should probably start embracing the behaviour or at least stop demonizing it.

Our society could sure stand to be a little more zen about things.

msj · August 24, 2015

We should probably start embracing the behaviour or at least stop demonizing it.

Our society could sure stand to be a little more zen about things.

I agree.

However, the extent that a married couple sought AM services and both were aware of each or the one partner doing it then it's fair game.

When one spouse is doing it and the other does not know then all bets are off.

I'd love to live in a world where people would do whatever they want with whoever wants to do it with them with no consequences.

But we're not there yet: socially or medically.

eyeball · August 24, 2015

In other Ashley Madison news, the leak turns out to be the result of a disgruntled employee.

-k

From the article;

The employee leaking all the information was apparently shocked to find out that her own husband was using the Ashley Madison dating website to cheat on her. Hurt by the betrayal, she decided to “help other people in the same situation” by disclosing all the information she had access to through her work computer.

She decided to help the same people she'd been employed to help hurt? That's probably the most perverted aspect of this story.

kimmy · August 24, 2015

This was exactly my point. Why do we feel it's ok to bring out the popcorn and amuse ourselves? This story has far reaching impact on families that will inevitably suffer in the public eye.

We should be ashamed that we are indulging in this exploitation.

I maintain that Josh Duggar is a public figure and that his presence on this list is open for public discussion. Duggar has used his celebrity and his position at a major political lobby group to promote a "pro-family" (ie, anti-feminist, anti-gay) agenda. As such I feel that his "pro-family" credentials are very much a fair matter for discussion, and I don't feel ashamed in the least.

-k

socialist · August 24, 2015

I maintain that Josh Duggar is a public figure and that his presence on this list is open for public discussion. Duggar has used his celebrity and his position at a major political lobby group to promote a "pro-family" (ie, anti-feminist, anti-gay) agenda. As such I feel that his "pro-family" credentials are very much a fair matter for discussion, and I don't feel ashamed in the least.

-k

I never heard of Josh Duggar until I read your obsessive rants. All you are doing is promoting your own self-righteousness. Duggar is a hypocrite....so what? The world is full of hypocrites from every walk of life.

msj · August 24, 2015

I never heard of Josh Duggar until I read your obsessive rants. All you are doing is promoting your own self-righteousness. Duggar is a hypocrite....so what? The world is full of hypocrites from every walk of life.

Yes, we know everyone is hypocritical, including you as shown above.

Just because you have not heard of someone does not mean he isn't famous.

What a narcissistic way to think about this: well, if I haven't heard of him then he isn't famous.

Millions of people know about Josh Duggar while you and I pine away anonymously here.

Big Guy · August 24, 2015

Reported on CTV this morning that 2 suicides have been attributed to the leak of those names. Authgorities are now offering a reward $500,000 for information on who did this - Yes - half a $million.

Some folks may not be sleeping very well tonight.