Moral Crucifixion:
Privacy Leakage and Data Security of Ashley Madison
Yang Yang (yy362)
Problem
As a website caters to people already in a relationship yet still want extramarital affairs, Ashley
Madison is the largest and fastest growing online social networking community of its kind.1 Since
the hacker gradually released its users’ data this summer, Ashley Madison has drawn massive
attention worldwide and overwhelmed with various consequences. With the data leakage of the
names and private information of its 37million users2, the website faces at least $578 million
class-action lawsuit3 and two suicides linked to the hack4.
The attack towards Ashley Madison revealed the escalating risks of data security. So far, though
the investigation on this hack was carried out by joint forces including Ashley Madison, the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, the US Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and others5, there’s
little known about the identity of the hacker- the Impact team6, or its motivation.
“Hollywood Courts Toronto-Based Ashley Madison.” Accessed December 12, 2015.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hollywood-courts-toronto-based-ashley-madison-75587257.html.
2
22, CBS News July, 2015, and 12:27 Pm. “Hackers Expose First Ashley Madison Users.” Accessed December 12,
2015. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hackers-expose-first-ashley-madison-users/.
3
Basu, Tanya. “Ashley Madison Slammed With $578 Million Lawsuit.” Time, August 23, 2015.
http://time.com/4007374/ashley-madison-578-million-lawsuit-canada/.
4
Bluestone, Gabrielle. “Police: At Least Two Suicides Linked to Ashley Madison Hack.” Gawker. Accessed
December 13, 2015. http://gawker.com/police-at-least-two-suicides-linked-to-ashley-madison-1726104618.
5
Goodin, Dan. “Ashley Madison Offers $500,000 Reward amid Reports of Member Suicides: Global Investigation
Involving FBI, Homeland Security Pledges No Unturned Stones.” In ArsTechnica.com, n/a. New York, United
States: Condé Nast Publications, Inc., 2015. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1706271283/abstract.
6
Simon Thomsen, Business Insider Australia, 2015 Jul. 20, 091 32, and 41. “Extramarital Affair Website Ashley
Madison Has Been Hacked and Attackers Are Threatening to Leak Data Online.” Business Insider. Accessed
1
However, the usage of released data extended and permeated rapidly. Companies and Federal
Institutions now use the data to conduct background checks on both current employees as well as
candidates; leaked information was also used to impersonate users in order to gain access to his/her
network7; and cyber extortions and scams were followed as well8. On top of all above, users’ most
private information including real names, credit card information, addresses, and sexual
preferences and fantasies are exposed and perpetuated online for others to browse, to pry and to
judge from a condescending angle. This makes the Internet a crucifixion and nails those who
commit infidelity. However, the legitimacy and morality of the leakage and reuse of these data is
ambiguous and remains to be studied.
Question
1. In the case of Ashley Madison data breach, how can we protect users’ privacy and their “rights
to be forgotten”, when they are both the offenders and the victims at the same time, from the
angle of law and technology? (Prof. Meg Jones)
2. What are the potential motivations of people using leaked data of Ashley Madison? (Prof.
Bode)
Method
1. Content Analysis. (Prof. Meg)
7
8
December 13, 2015.
http://www.businessinsider.com/cheating-affair-website-ashley-madison-hacked-user-data-leaked-2015-7.
Levin, Mintz. “Data Dump! AshleyMadison.com Fallout Deepens.” Privacy & Security Matters. Accessed
December 13, 2015.
https://www.privacyandsecuritymatters.com/2015/08/data-dump-ashleymadison-com-fallout-deepens/.
24, Charlie Osborne for Zero Day | September, and 2015-- 09:00 GMT| Topic: Security. “In Ashley Madison’s
Wake, Here’s One Man’s Story of Sex, Sorrow and Extortion.” ZDNet. Accessed December 13, 2015.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/in-ashley-madisons-wake-heres-one-mans-story-of-sex-sorrow-and-extortion/.
To solve this question, first search for relevant content in several disciplines. In the aspect of
law, collect relevant textual materials such as legislations, regulations, case law and legislative
history, then scrutinize them and try to find conflicts and vulnerability with the intention of
protecting Ashley Madison users’ human rights and privacy. In the aspect of technology, to
collect text materials such as programs, manuals, IEEE & ACM journals, company
communications, then scrutinize them and try to find the loopholes of information leakage. In
both cases, to look for ways to amend the current law and technology in a whole, aiming to
enhance data security or to rectify them with the interrelations between disciplines.
Interdisciplinary approach in this case could help to bring and combine solutions from
different angles and let policies, law, and technology to restrain and to compensate for each
other. Nevertheless, efforts made by several disciplines make it harder to guarantee a fair and
even interest relationship among various stakeholders, which might lead to a biased preference
of users and harming the commercial development. Furthermore, in this case, it might even
encourage extramarital affairs and infidelity in the society.
2. Survey (Prof. Bode)
To detect the motivations behind people flocking to the website and searching for others’
information, we could conduct a simple survey before their search.
The survey would ask people to declare their relationships with the person they’re searching,
which leads to multiple choices based on different reasons for using the leaked information.
Relationship between you and the person
Reasons
you are searching for

Someone I know is probably on Ashley
1.
cheating on me
Madison
(Could be spouse, friends, acquaintances
2.
To check if my friends/acquaintances
are potentially cheating
or yourself)

To check if my spouse is potentially
Employers
3.
Other
1.
To see if my employees have
infidelities.
(Could be
corporations/institutions/Government)
2.
To check my prospective employees’
fidelities in pre-employment

Strangers
1.
Out of curiosity
The advantage of conducting a quantitative method, such as survey, is that the outcome is usually
directly perceived, whereas it might include falsehood due to human’s complex psychology and
behavior. There is no reliable way to verify the information offered.
Summary
Despite of the shame on Ashley Madison users, the fact that community witch-hunts them online
and imposes their ideologies onto others is also a terrifying moral crucifixion that is worth
studying and should be brought into light. Interdisciplinary methods applied in this case may
contribute to protect users’ “rights to be forgotten”, however the fairness of conducting such
methods simultaneously can not be guaranteed.