Love, Lies, and Leaks

Ashley Madison 2015 breach exposed 36M users, triggering extortion, suicides, $11M settlement, and sweeping privacy reforms

A dating website for extramarital affairs became ground zero for digital exposure, mass extortion, and psychological devastation. In 2015, a mysterious group known as “The Impact Team” breached Ashley Madison, a platform promising secrecy for people seeking affairs. They didn’t steal any money; instead, they weaponized trust. The hackers exposed the per…