Ironically, the fact that so many people turned to Ashley Madison to help them cheat on their spouses may help them avoid detection, even after the website’s client base has been exposed to the world.
Hackers who previously accessed Ashley Madison’s client data have released what they say are the personal information of millions of users. The Associated Press says that many third-party analysts believe the data indeed comes from Ashley Madison’s clients.
The hackers reportedly stole the data to try to force Ashley Madison, a dating site for married would-be cheaters, to shut down. Because Ashley Madison has refused, “now everyone gets to see their data,” the hackers said in a message posted along with the data, which includes names, credit card information, addresses and other sensitive info.
Those whose names are among those in the data may be very worried today about being found out by their spouses. Could there be a flurry of divorce filings in the next few days because of this hack?
Unlikely, according to a divorce attorney interviewed by the AP. The lawyer called the released database difficult to search through for the average person, both because it is so large and because it requires technical savvy to use. In addition, many of the profiles in the database appear to be fake. Even suspicious spouses may not be able to find their husbands’ and wives’ names in there — for now.
However, if someone believes his or her spouse is having an affair, he or she is bound to find out the truth sooner or later. It is no longer necessary in New York to prove infidelity or another “cause” to obtain a divorce, but of course divorce never happens for no reason. And many people are unwilling to put up with a cheating spouse.