The Scarlet Letter and Ashley Madison

[Draggingtree]

The American Conservative: The Scarlet Letter and Ashley Madison

By GRACY OLMSTEAD • August 22, 2015, 12:05 AM

 

Many people had no idea Ashley Madison, a “dating website marketed at would-be adulterers,” existed before this week. Now, they’re not likely to forget it. The site’s hacking has resulted in the release of information from 32 million users of the site. As these users’ emails—and thus, their identities—have come to light, a manhunt has begun.

 

The site’s very existence seems rather odd, at least at first glance: who would give their personal information to a website publicly set up to help you cheat on your spouse? It seems the risk is hardly worth taking. It seems some, at least, would fear that their membership would come back to haunt them.