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Ashley Madison Hack Claims First Victims

wired_parrot writes: Toronto police are reporting that 2 unconfirmed suicides have been linked to the data breach. This follows pleas from other users of the site for the hackers to not release the data before it was exposed- an anonymous gay Reddit user from Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal, pleaded for the data to be kept private: "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing." And when The Intercept published a piece condemning the puritanical glee over the data dump, one user who commented on the article said she's been "a long term member" of the site because her spouse's medical condition has affected their intimate life. Her spouse knows she's engaged with other Ashley Madison members, she says, but now fears she will likely lose friends and have to find a new job now that her association with the site is out there. Ashley Madison has now offered a $380,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hackers who leaked the data. Security researcher Troy Hunt has also posted about the kind of emails he's received from users after the data leak.

706 comments

  1. Very sad - but let's get legislation in place NOW by Bruce66423 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This should create the head of steam required to get some legislation passed to make companies and specific executives SUFFER if they screw up their data security. Ultimately that means if an executive is advised that a system is insecure, fails to act and it gets hacked, the executive needs to personally liable, with a small taste of prison. It happening once is all that is required....

  2. Oddly specific by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

    That's an oddly specific reward. They really couldn't spring for $400,000?

    --
    This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    1. Re:Oddly specific by OverlordQ · · Score: 4, Informative

      It is, it's a 500k CAD reward, which translates to ~380k USD.

      --
      Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
    2. Re:Oddly specific by invid · · Score: 1

      That's an oddly specific reward. They really couldn't spring for $400,000?

      Convert it to Canadian dollars.

      --
      The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
    3. Re:Oddly specific by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Seems ridiculously low. They have already been sued for over half a billion CAD. This is likely to end their business. Is that really all they can afford or are willing to pay?

      Shows how much they care about their users. Presumably they are hoping to get someone to grass on the cheap, and only ramp it up later if no-one comes forward. Even more alarming, it suggests that they have no idea who it is and their security is so poor they have nothing to go on.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    4. Re:Oddly specific by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

      Ah yes of course, I overlooked that.

      --
      This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    5. Re:Oddly specific by dmt0 · · Score: 1

      It is, it's a 500k CAD reward, which translates to ~380k USD.

      And getting lower in USD every day. How convenient.

    6. Re:Oddly specific by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 2

      Seems ridiculously low. They have already been sued for over half a billion CAD. This is likely to end their business. Is that really all they can afford or are willing to pay?

      Shows how much they care about their users. Presumably they are hoping to get someone to grass on the cheap, and only ramp it up later if no-one comes forward. Even more alarming, it suggests that they have no idea who it is and their security is so poor they have nothing to go on.

      I'd say how much they cared about their users was shown much earlier--or has the claims about them not deleting information they demanded money to delete not been verified yet? If it has, they're probably going to be gotten for fraud.

    7. Re:Oddly specific by anotheryak · · Score: 1

      This is a reward for the capture of the hackers. Capturing them won't save the business, that genie is out of the bottle and getting drunk in Tacoma. One has nothing to do with the other at this point.

    8. Re:Oddly specific by GuB-42 · · Score: 1

      They will never pay that half billion. A least, 500k CAD is an amount they can pay.

    9. Re:Oddly specific by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Actually, as rewards go, this is a lot of money. If there is somebody that knows who did it and is pretty sure they are not hanging with the scum that did this, they will now be thinking very carefully on how to get that money.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    10. Re:Oddly specific by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you were in there position, you'd not pay that much - you'd pay an amount you could afford. AM isn't a huge company - I think their sales were around 15 million.

  3. This is the future Republicans... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Want for us all.

    1. Re:This is the future Republicans... by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      I highly doubt it. Republicans are in the front line of the worst offenders against anything you might consider "decent" while at the same time also being the only ones who give a fuck about someone "important" shagging someone outside of marriage.

      I don't really get it. Is it some kind of whipping boy stunt? By punishing someone else I am punishing myself for doing the dirty but I don't wanna stop?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:This is the future Republicans... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I highly doubt it. Republicans are in the front line of the worst offenders against anything you might consider "decent" while at the same time also being the only ones who give a fuck about someone "important" shagging someone outside of marriage.

      Yes, well adjusted neighborhoods, lined with middle class houses with white picket fences, where everyone knows each other and are respectful to each other is so indecent. Much better to have the victim mindset and urban decay, like Detroit.

    3. Re:This is the future Republicans... by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Anything indecent is rarely going to happen in the open. Things like these are usually done behind the walls of those middle class houses.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

    No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

    1. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So the message is "shut up and live a lie in your repressive regime"?

      Be careful what you wish for. You might have to do it soon.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by avandesande · · Score: 1

      That's BS. You could make that argument about anything that would get him caught. The website did not willing give up the account information- it was stolen.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    3. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

      No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

      Victim blaming much?

    4. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. This is how we're all going to live in the near future anyway. Might as well get used to it.

    5. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      ;-) Yes, the bondage of matrimony is quite 'repressive', isn't it? But if you are doing it soon, be happy... and stay off the internet. Do your shopping a the store, your banking at the bank, and your fucking at the flop house the next town over, no appointment needed.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    6. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.
      What do you want the message to be?
      "We have perfect security and you will never be found out." like these Ashely people had?
      Look how that turned out.

    7. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Victim blaming does not absolve the perpetrator.

      But, the presence of a guilty perpetrator does not change the facts about what the victim did.

      One fact is that information you put online is not under your control. This man put online evidence that he was breaking local laws. It does not matter how evil those local laws are. The facts remain the same. He took a significant risk by putting that information about himself online.

      In a non-evil world, he would be able to do that without fearing any harm. In the world in which he lives, he took a big risk that he could have avoided. This risk was something he knew to be risky (or at least should have known) before he took it. Nothing forced him to take it.

      So, there is a degree to which he is at fault for what happened. But that in no way absolves the perpetrators of guilt (including, in this case, the web site for failing to protect the data, the hackers for publishing it, and the local government for imposing extreme punishments for crimes that should not be crimes at all).

      I agree that victim-blamers are wrong when they use that blame to extenuate the charges against the perpetrator. But I assert that the victim-absolvers are also wrong: sometimes the victim did something stupid, and is at fault for that.

    8. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

      No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

      Don't worry. If he took realistic achievable steps to protect himself, I'm sure a cacophany of narrow-minded Slashdotters -- with no knowledge of history and no understanding of the kind of people who like to run things -- would howl at him for being a tin-foil hatter.

    9. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Shadow+IT+Ninja · · Score: 2

      There's plenty of blame to go around. Some of the end users of the site did things they shouldn't have done. These people and others shouldn't have trusted Ashley Madison. That doesn't make it okay for Ashley Madison to have poor security. They should have done better and suffer the consequences for not doing better. Ashley Madison's poor pracitces don't make it okay for cyber criminals to hack them. They did wrong too. None of this makes it okay for the tech industry to allow such lax security, in general.

    10. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by avandesande · · Score: 2

      Care to gauge the relative risk of using a website vs trying to date without one in Saudi Arabia? I have no idea, and I bet you don't either.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    11. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. Don't poke bears. Don't have unprotected sex. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't let anyone know you are gay in an Islamic country, or Russia now apparently.

      Just because a consequence is unjust does not make it any less a consequence.

    12. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The website did not willing give up the account information- it was stolen.

      I'm confused. Does Ashley Madison not have possession of the information? When these hackers broke in, did they take the information and not leave anything behind?

      I ask because many times on here when talking about people stealing songs the argument is always brought up that nothing was actually stolen since the original owner still had the song. Therefore, there was no theft but is instead considered "sharing".

      If the above analogy is correct then there's no problem. Nothing was stolen, only shared because information wants to be free. So which story are we going to use today?

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    13. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Punto · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's my main problem with this, I get that this data breach is a violation of people's privacy, but if someone is killed for doing nothing, it's the fault of the person who killed them, not some hacker. If we blame the hackers, we're reducing every other participant to some sort of deterministic machine, with no mind of its own. That's not what they are; a killer (a person, or a government) can choose not to kill someone for being gay, and if they choose to kill, it's entirely on their hands, and they are responsible for their actions. They don't get to claim that some hacker fed them information and they somehow completely lost control of themselves.

      --

      --
      Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!

    14. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      "And I did nothing

      That is the problem, right there. You're expecting different results by doing nothing.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    15. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Teh key word in your statement is "live".

    16. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Time to send you back 250 years and see what it was like to live before the good 'ol USofA freedom you enjoy. No they didn't expose themselves at all, a site they thought was safe to use to be able to have a little bit of freedom was hacked. Something you take for granted because of where you were born. Because of that hack, and because they were BORN (did not choose) to live in an authoritarian, abusive government, they will be tortured and killed.

    17. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The message is "I was born in a rich and free country and I judge your reality, which I don't understand, through the lens of my reality".

    18. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      ? grenades are less dangerous when the alternatives are more so?

    19. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More specifically what he did was break the law.

      That the law is unjust and should not exist is a point easily argued, however the concept of society is that there are consequences for breaking the laws and the law being imoral does not exempt you from those consequences. The idea behind civil disobedience is to call attention to the injustice by making a spectacle of accepting the cosequenes but not denouncing the actions you took as wrong.

      breaking the law and insisting you don't deserve the cosequences is not somethign that should be respected.

    20. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I ask because many times on here when talking about people stealing songs the argument is always brought up that nothing was actually stolen since the original owner still had the song. Therefore, there was no theft but is instead considered "sharing".

      If the above analogy is correct then there's no problem. Nothing was stolen, only shared because information wants to be free. So which story are we going to use today?

      You are (deliberately?) conflating theft with copyright infringement. That's your first mistake. By illicitly sharing a copyrighted song you are not stealing from the copyright owner. You would be infringing their legal right to control distribution. If they took you to court for that, you would not be charged with theft (a criminal offense). You would be charged with copyright infringement, which is a civil tort. By calling it "stealing" (a tactic designed to make it sound worse than it is) you are actually contradicting the very laws that created copyright in the first place!

      The data copied from the AM breach is not part of a copyright dispute. The people affected did not have a copyright infringed. The people affected had their privacy infringed. They were not intent on selling copies of that data for money. They were intent on keeping that data secret.

      See, just because both issues involve the loss of control of some data, does not mean they're the exact same thing. This, again, is you conflating two separate issues in order to make a point that isn't valid. If you are passionate about copyright issues that's great, but it's obviously clouding your judgment and causing you to be the guy who has only a hammer and thinks therefore everything must be a nail.

    21. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but the artist wants the song to be played and known. And the user of AM didnt. Since the user was paying for the service he/she assumed (wrongly) that part of that money was to grant that his/her data was secured

    22. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      Victim blaming in some circumstances is very much appropriate. If you jump into shark infested waters with bloody raw meat strapped to you, then you are at least in part to blame when you become lunch. It is shameful that the shark infested environment exists in the first place, but at the same time the person chose to jump in and offer themselves as the tasty morsel.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    23. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The difference in my opnion is that when you "steal" a movie, you are merely propagating information that was publicly available.

      By contrast this information was never publicly available and never made for being distributed. Theft is still perhaps not the appropriate term, but far more appropriate here than the term is with regards to copyright infringement.

    24. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rule #1 of Oppressive Regime Club is "Do Not Trust The Internet".
      Rule #2 of Oppressive Regime Club is "Do Not Trust The Internet".

    25. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually he didn't. When he was in the US he used the site and now he is back in Saudi Arabia where he doesn't use the site. But he is afraid that what he did in the US will be exposed and will be punished for it in Saudi Arabia.

    26. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      No they didn't expose themselves at all, a site they thought was safe to use to be able to have a little bit of freedom was hacked.

      They chose to exposed themselves to the site. They made a risk calculation and found themselves on the wrong side of probability. The politics, and the consequences thereof have nothing to do with it.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    27. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

      No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

      Victim blaming much?

      My experience is that those who are called "victims" often contributed to their plight worse than any external force that came along and proved that they were making bad decisions. And this is a good thing. It means people are usually not helpless, but rather, can learn to make better choices and receive better outcomes. The major obstacle to realizing that? The constant preoccupation with blame and how it should be shifted around.

    28. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yes, the rich and free country which rarely condemns his country for human rights abuses, sells them billions in weapons so that they can bomb their neighbor back to the stone age, and is one of, if not the biggest exporter and supporter of Islamic terrorism in the world. For all we know, this guy might be a member of the Saudi ruling family, since apparently he's been able to bypass the Saudi internet filtering to get to the AM site. If he is a member of the ruling family, I don't have a scintilla of sympathy for him.

    29. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by BitZtream · · Score: 1, Insightful

      No, he could use common sense.

      Common sense says you don't publish shit ON A PUBLIC NETOWRK, let alone on a fucking outlawed (in his country) social media site ...

      And work to change your oppressive regime.

      See the two things are only slightly related, you can in fact do either one without the other, or both, or none.

      What you don't get is to pretend it wasn't your fault that people found your were a closeted homosexual because YOU POSTED IT ON THE FUCKING INTERNET.

      Don't post public shit on the internet if you don't want the world to know, dumbass. It's his own fault, 100%. His direct actions led him to this dillema.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    30. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by reve_etrange · · Score: 0

      Damn, mod parent up.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    31. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are a punk.

    32. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who is it oppressive for? The population that decreed a law needs to be in place to punish people for something arbitrary? One could say a psychopath is living in an oppressive regime because society won't let him kill without punishment. Are drug users living in an oppressive regime because laws say their ply is wrong?

      Whether or not you feel the thing he did was wrong is immaterial. The thing he did is illegal by the laws of the country he lived in, and he knew that if he was caught he could face punishment. The message is not 'shut up and live a lie in an oppressive regime', it's, 'Don't live in a place where you disagree with the laws', the same as it's always been.

    33. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So when German citizens turned in Jews to the gestapo, they have no blood on their hands because they were not the actual person to pull the trigger or drop the canister of Zyclon-B?

    34. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      So the message is "shut up and live a lie in your repressive regime"?

      Be careful what you wish for. You might have to do it soon.

      Yes that is exactly correct. You might not, right now, live in such a regime and you obviously have no idea what people have to go through in order to live within such a regime.

      But if you are in the USA (or one of its vassal states like Canada) and you download torrents you might soon find yourself in that same position! And at that point you will learn to keep your mouth shut, live a lie and keep safe.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    35. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love how every single one of them has a pathos for being on there. Loads of gay guys to hook up with in saudi arabia on a site for married people. Adultery is punishable by death too but being gay is better for seeking refugee status.

    36. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

      No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

      Victim blaming much?

      Let me guess; you come from a country whose ethical standards were primarily inherited or based on Christianity?

      Not everyone in the world sees victims as automatically heros just because they were victims. Christian cultures are kind of peculiar in this regard.

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    37. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the message is:

      "Be aware where you live, and if you have to be careful, do so, until such time as the population can rise up and defend your rights to be free"

      Live to fight another day is better than being killed because you did something stupid.

    38. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Punto · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, I'm saying everyone is responsible for their actions. The people who snitched are responsible for snitching, the people who killed are responsible for killing. If you put it all on the snitches, you're making the nazis as machines, like they don't make their own choices. Turning someone in to the gestapo is not the same as pushing someone in front of a train. The train is a machine, it obeys the laws of movement, it can't stop, so the blame is with whoever pushed the person. Someone who kills someone else for being gay or cheating on their spouse is not a machine, is a person that can make choices, and is responsible for the consequences of those choices.

      --

      --
      Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!

    39. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the message is: "Signing up for a website in order to act in a manner that is illegal where you live doesn't qualify as 'nothing'."

    40. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you really confused or did you just find a parallel pejorative to file sharing that you thought were clever to point out if no one thinks about it too much?

      One is a blatant attempt to extort money out of a shitty company and making good on the threat of ruining the private lives of people because society feels gleefully entitled to punishing them for unapproved fucking and the other is an unstoppable practice that has never been conclusively proven to actually hurt artists as much as it actually helps them in this day and age.

    41. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      No, the message is 'don't trust a large centralised third-part system for communication, it's not operating for your benefit and you will end up losing out in the end'. It's something that people in western countries could do well to learn.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    42. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can go buy the latest albums at a store or on any one of a wide variety of online outlets. In fact I do and haven't pirated games or music in a long time. I don't see the link between 'a stolen song that was available to anyone' and 'private, personal, potentially dangerous information'. There are people committing suicide and facing abuse because of this leak. It is not the same as Lars not being able to buy another Ferrari.

    43. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    44. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, for the sake of argument, let's say a hit man is looking for Sam Hamwich, who they have been hired to take out. They come up to you, ask you if you know where Sam lives, and tell you all about the reason they are looking for him. Is it your position that giving the hit man Sam's correct address is a morally neutral act?

    45. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      Nonsense wrapped in a false dichotomy. It is entirely possible for the killers to be 100% responsible for their actions, and for those who assisted them to be responsible for their actions also. Try looking up "aiding and abetting" and "conspiracy" at your local law library.

      By your reasoning, the terrorists on board the planes who crashed into the world trade center were solely responsible for their act. Osama bin Laden merely provided them with information, so he was completely guilt free.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    46. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But no one did that.

      The waters were not shark infested. There was a gate blocking the sharks from getting in.

      But someone deliberately broke the gate.

    47. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the message is be careful what you post to the internet.

      When bad things happen to people who write stupid posts on Facebook and face negative repercussions, we don't blame Facebook, we blame the person for posting stupid things. It's social media. The chances of anything you write being leaked or exposed for all to see is non-zero.

      It's a gamble, and you're placing bets that nothing bad will happen because of anything you post on the internet. But once in a while someone hits the negative jackpot and bad things happen. It doesn't mean these negative results are moral or ethical.

    48. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 1

      "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," he wrote. "And I did nothing."

      No, what you did was expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government. Realize that or do not.

      Don't worry. If he took realistic achievable steps to protect himself, I'm sure a cacophany of narrow-minded Slashdotters -- with no knowledge of history and no understanding of the kind of people who like to run things -- would howl at him for being a tin-foil hatter.

      If he took realistic, achievable steps to protect himself, he'd not have been using Ashley Madison in the first place--having checked into them, I'd have been wary even before the hack because of Ashley Madison's business practices. Them charging money for profile deletion is a red flag.

    49. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Punto · · Score: 1

      Of course it is possible, that's why the first thing I say is that the hackers are violating people's privacy. I'm not saying the hackers are blameless, I'm saying everyone is responsible for their actions, and everyone has to answer/be punished for their actions and not somebody else's. The hackers hacked, and the killers killed. But the hackers did not kill.

      --

      --
      Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!

    50. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Actually, he did. Just because he didn't violate US law doesn't mean as a Saudi national that he didn't violate Saudi law. People seem to think that just because they are in a foreign country that their home country's laws are somehow not applicable to them anymore.

    51. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Punto · · Score: 1

      I don't know if it's morally neutral, but if I'm ever tried for my actions I will be responsible for telling someone the location of Sam Hamwich and not for killing Sam Hamwich. If, instead of a person, it was a computer asking me to program in the coordinates of Sam Hamwich so it can shoot a missile at him, then yes, I'm responsible, because the computer is just a deterministic machine, it will do what it's programmed to with the information I input, but the hit man is a man, he has free will and can make his own decisions, I'm not responsible for his actions, only for my own.

      The actual interesting argument (this is where I thought you were going) is, is the person who paid the hit man also responsible for the death of Sam Hamwich? He didn't actually killed him, he paid money to a hit man (who can make his own decision, etc). But the hackers who published the Ashley Madison database did not pay anyone to do anything as far as I know, so I'm gonna say it's irrelevant :p

      --

      --
      Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!

    52. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      Sharks sometimes get into the shark cages, or bite through the protective mesh armor. It is a known risk and the person jumping in is accepting that risk when they enter.

      The waters (the Internet) are infested, and the user chose to accept the risks associated with using AM as a shelter within that environment. Personal responsibility doesn't stop at the gate. It would be nice to leave your worries at the door, but first you need to decide if it's made of paper and whether you're willing to accept the risks inherent with that.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    53. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know if it's morally neutral, but if I'm ever tried for my actions I will be responsible for ...

      The charges would likely be accessory to murder or aiding and abetting. The person who paid the hit man would be charged with murder. IANAL, but I think there's plenty of precedent for both situations. This is not an 'interesting' argument, it's fairly settled legally.

    54. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Nyder · · Score: 1

      So the message is "shut up and live a lie in your repressive regime"?

      Be careful what you wish for. You might have to do it soon.

      No, the message is, when you live in an oppressive regime, and you do something that is considered wrong there, you best hide what you do very fucking good. Putting your info on some Dating/Cheating website isn't the smartest move you can make. Mainly when the info can lead the attackers, abusers and whatnot to your door if they found out.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    55. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Nyder · · Score: 1

      Actually he didn't. When he was in the US he used the site and now he is back in Saudi Arabia where he doesn't use the site. But he is afraid that what he did in the US will be exposed and will be punished for it in Saudi Arabia.

      Then I guess he better move back to the United States or to another country, because his lapse of judgement might get him killed if he stays.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    56. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      If someone kills someone else because his imaginary buddy tells him it's a good idea it is my business. He might think that his sky daddy tells him I'm the next target 'cause I don't live in the same kind of delusion.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    57. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by erapert · · Score: 1

      Yes. That's why freedom is important. And we in the US are very close to losing it ourselves.

    58. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The message is "don't expose yourself using social media to an authoritarian, abusive government." Nothing else. The phrase "When in Rome..." applies completely, because you really should be paying attention when you're in a place that punishes the things you enjoy doing with death. And you absolutely should not be trusting anyone else with information that could get you punished by death.

      Simply using this site was a gamble, Looks like a lot of people just lost.

    59. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

      AC beat me to it, and it is such an obvious conclusion that I'd feel silly repeating it. Then again, some DA's might even throw in conspiracy to commit murder, and consider your actions to be active participation in the planning.

      --
      Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
    60. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Troed · · Score: 1

      Did you take the time to look up how many countries consider laws at home to apply to their citizens when they're abroad?

      I'm Swedish - smoking cannabis is illegal (very much so, it's considered to be the same as shooting heroin) here. However, if I get stopped on the streets of southern Sweden and taken in for a urine test, all I have to say is that I was recently in Amsterdam and smoked it there.

      You see, the laws of Sweden applies ... well, in Sweden. When I'm in another country I'm expected to follow the laws there.

    61. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Punto · · Score: 1

      Ok, so you agree that I'm not charged for murder, because the actual murder is committed by someone else? That's the whole point. I don't really care what the "DA might throw", this is not a TV show; I don't even know which country we're talking about, this is about some guys from who knows where (probably multiple countries) dumping a database from a canadian site, with consequences to to some guy from some ass-backwards country were they kill people for being gay. It's more of an ethical discussion to me. Also do you agree that these guys didn't conspire with anyone, didn't instruct anyone to do anything, didn't pay anyone to kill anyone else, they just dumped a database?

      --

      --
      Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!

    62. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      So he chose to move to a country where the behaviour he enjoys is punishable by death? Sympathy meter is approaching zero...

    63. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't have to because I know that they all do. If I'm out of my country (US) for 2 years working for a non US company, does that mean I don't have to pay US income taxes? No, of course not. And the reason you aren't arrested in Sweden is probably because failing a drug test isn't against the law, at least in the US (unless you've previously have been busted and passing a drug test is a condition of probation).

    64. Re:"I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled," by Troed · · Score: 1

      No, they most definitely don't all do - and yes, not passing a drug test is illegal in Sweden.

  5. When you define anything as "cheating"... by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 4, Insightful

    When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating", you've already cut off the debate paths that the victims from the summary illustrate. Not, mind you, that AM's marketing did much to discourage that definition.

    But, hey, enjoy your puritanical two-minute hate, and don't worry about collateral damage.

    (Posting as AC, even though I've never gone near the site, because I'm stuck with this country's puritanical environment and the consequences it imposes for even talking about ethical decisions that don't fit the standard mold. And, yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a coward.)

    1. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 0

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating", you've already cut off the debate paths that the victims from the summary illustrate.

      Wow, who actually says this? NOBODY.

      And, yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a coward.

      ya think? arguing with straw men kind of gives it away

    2. Re: When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Nope. You posted as you.

    3. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      (Posting as AC, even though I've never gone near the site,

      Um, you might want to look again...

    4. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm no puritan, but it's weird that you used the word "intimacy" for sex you keep secret from your spouse.

    5. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating"

      It is cheating no matter what. 99% of the time the spouse doesn't know about it and the last 1% are cheating themselves from having a healthy relationship. If your partner (no matter what gender) is not enough for you, then maybe you shouldn't be together. And if someone need to hide behind a "secure" web site, then it is 100% accurate that it is for cheating.

    6. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 2

      This is slashdot. We will lynch you for saying you were, but forgetting to post as AC, and not care about your ethics. You must be new here.

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    7. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by njnnja · · Score: 1

      this country's puritanical environment

      Yeah, people in Canada and Saudi Arabia are so judgmental. I'm glad I live in the US where we can have these discussions!

    8. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Yunzil · · Score: 1

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating"

      "This isn't a spade. It's a hand-held dirt shifting implement."

    9. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating"

      It is cheating no matter what.

      So when I talk to my relatives about my childhood experiences (that's pretty intimate) and I don't mention them in the same detail to my wife, this is cheating?

    10. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by fightinfilipino · · Score: 1

      lots of people actually say this. i do not, but others do. many others also cannot their own sexuality and identity and have to "pretend" because their respective societies actually *kill* people for having such identities. open your mind at least a little.

    11. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      ANY extramarital intimacy? Really? It's cheating when my wife talks to her brother about their childhood experiences?

    12. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Cheating necessarily implies deceit.
      If consenting adults want to have physical intimacy with someone who isn't their spouse, and everyone involved (spouse included) is okay with it, then it isn't cheating.

      Your relationship might be so fragile that sexual exclusivity is a requirement to keep it going, but not everyone is that insecure in themselves or their partner.

    13. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by halivar · · Score: 0

      He posted with a 7-digit UID, which is just as good.
      /duck
      /run

    14. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If your partner (no matter what gender) is not enough for you, then maybe you shouldn't be together.

      You can place blame for that on the Family Law system here in North America that ensures that the spouse that enjoyed your ability to support her in a given lifestyle while you were getting to fuck her continues to enjoy that lifestyle through assignment of all of your income to her even after you don't get to fuck her any more. That leaves you, the poor bastard, living in a hole in the wall bachelor apartment in somebody's basement, working at least 2 jobs to be able to keep that ex-wife up in the lifestyle that one of your paycheques pays for while you try to scrape by on the other paycheque.

      Make divorce equitable and affordable and perhaps there would be less cheating by the spouse who is unhappy but cannot afford to leave.

    15. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Even if you had actually posted AC; slashdot still knows your identity, and hackers could steal that and publish that.

      You should think twice before posting stuff that could get you harmed. Maybe relocate to a country that isn't so evil.

    16. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 4, Funny

      (Posting as AC, even though I've never gone near the site, because I'm stuck with this country's puritanical environment and the consequences it imposes for even talking about ethical decisions that don't fit the standard mold. And, yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a coward.)

      Replying as AC, to tell you that you forgot to mark the "Post Anonymously" checkbox, even though I've never posted AC before, because I'm stuck with this site's puritanical environment and the consequences it imposes for even talking about posting as AC and not using the preview button.

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    17. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In Arkansas, yes. There she'd be considered to be cheating with you on her brother.

    18. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 2

      Cheating is a lot more common than many realise. Maybe it's about time to open up the conversation on why we find one physical activity with another person to be taboo, but not another (like say tennis).

      In a 1991 study, sex researcher Shere Hite found that 70 percent of married women have cheated on their partners; a 1993 follow-up study found that 72 percent of married men have as well. According to a 2004 University of Chicago study, 25 percent of married men have had at least one extramarital affair.

    19. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Joey+Vegetables · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, some of us do. For instance, those of us who try to follow Christ also, by definition, try to give at least some consideration to how Jesus defined it:

      "27 You have heard that it was said to those of old,[c] 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

      (Matt. 5:27-28, NKJV)

      The lesson: Big sins usually start off as small ones. Don't lust after other women, don't think about cheating, don't put yourself in the position where you might, don't neglect your marriage to the point where you feel you need to, and chances are pretty good that you won't.

      We also try to remember that if God has forgiven us our sins against Him, then we also ought to be willing to forgive those who sin against us. Most marriages can be saved if both partners are willing to save it, and, sometimes, even if one of them is not.

    20. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are _numerous_ people in happy, healthy, open relationships. Some are probably your co-workers and other close acquaintances. The reason you aren't aware of this is because they're all smart enough not to go announcing it publicly to judgmental assholes like you.

    21. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Here let me fix that for you:

      In a 1991 study, sex researcher Shere Hite found that 70 percent of married women WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY have cheated on their partners; a 1993 follow-up study found that 72 percent of married men have as well. According to a 2004 University of Chicago study, 25 percent of married men WHO RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY have had at least one extramarital affair.

      just remember that most people hang up the phone when it's a survey, those who bother to answer are usually pretty biased one way or the other

    22. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by sinij · · Score: 1

      To continue the trend of posting as AC, I didn't find this site approach to posting as AC puritanical. Additionally, I personally browse at 0 and read (and mod up) AC comments.

    23. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      I bet you guys are just the same AC having an argument with yourself.

      Non-Original AC here!

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    24. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 2, Informative

      those of us who try to follow Christ

      Don't lust after other women, don't think about cheating, don't put yourself in the position where you might, don't neglect your marriage to the point where you feel you need to, and chances are pretty good that you won't.

      When christ said to mind the log in your own eye, before looking at the mote in others, clearly you were not paying attention.

    25. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Yunzil · · Score: 1

      If consenting adults want to have physical intimacy with someone who isn't their spouse, and everyone involved (spouse included) is okay with it, then it isn't cheating.

      And the other person that the spouse is involved with? What do you call what they're doing? Or is everyone on A-M there with the permission of their SOs?

      not everyone is that insecure in themselves or their partner

      Oh, I see. Those of us who expect our partners to not be fucking some random stranger on the side are just not as civilized. Got it.

    26. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      country's puritanical environment and the consequences it imposes for even talking about ethical decisions that don't fit the standard mold

      1) If your spouse says you can have an affair (in general) you're okay, not subject to this problem
      2) If your spouse says you cannot have an affair, or else you're in trouble, you're in trouble, and not subject to this problem

      The problem is, you've ascribed to society social norms things that are social norms. If you don't want social norms to be social norms, then please be kind to your worker when he shows up in a furry outfit, in an open expression of furry love.

      In other words, social norms allow for nominal social behavior that is expected. You may not like social norms, but they do serve a purpose. Unless you're Bill and Hillary, in which case, social norms are for the little people

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    27. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 2

      Maybe so, but if that's the case then we may as well throw out phone surveys as a valid method of research entirely, and I don't think anyone's suggesting that.

    28. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 2

      those of us who try to follow Christ

      Don't lust after other women, don't think about cheating, don't put yourself in the position where you might, don't neglect your marriage to the point where you feel you need to, and chances are pretty good that you won't.

      When christ said to mind the log in your own eye, before looking at the mote in others, clearly you were not paying attention.

      Perhaps you could clarify. I don't quite follow. What is the log and what is the mote in parent's statements?

      Personally, I am always amused when Christians (and I am one) try to enforce their morals on others. The Bible clearly indicates it won't work.

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    29. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1

      LOL. I'm not even very good at being a coward, apparently.

    30. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating"

      Who exactly is defining that? Cheating involves going behind your spouse's back, deception, lying, etc. Cheating is not telling your spouse that you have a hot date tonight and asking if they want you to bring the person back to the house or go to a hotel instead.

      Anyway, nice straw man you've got there, but I don't see anyone defining "any extramarital intimacy" as cheating with the possible exception of various extremist religious groups that I wouldn't take seriously anyway.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    31. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 2

      This is slashdot. We will lynch you for saying you were, but forgetting to post as AC, and not care about your ethics. You must be new here.

      Hey now, I haven't made that mistake in a long time. And even when I did, I didn't brag about posting AC but forgetting to check the stupid box.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    32. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      How did I not see this coming?

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    33. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      I just modded you and the above comment "+1 Insightful".

      Just thought I'd let you now.

      Posting AC to preserve mods.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    34. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The passage referred to above indicates that one should worry about their own sin rather than worrying about others' sins. The very thing you find amusing is the thing that Christ appears to have told them NOT to do (and yes, they do it anyway. All. the. time.)

    35. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating", you've already cut off the debate paths that the victims from the summary illustrate. Not, mind you, that AM's marketing did much to discourage that definition.

      But, hey, enjoy your puritanical two-minute hate, and don't worry about collateral damage.

      (Posting as AC, even though I've never gone near the site, because I'm stuck with this country's puritanical environment and the consequences it imposes for even talking about ethical decisions that don't fit the standard mold. And, yeah, I guess I'm a bit of a coward.)

      jeffb you aren't AC

    36. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      Oh, yes. I see what you are saying.. I don't quite agree with your exegesis, but you are not far enough off for it to matter in this context.

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    37. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 2

      Maybe so, but if that's the case then we may as well throw out phone surveys as a valid method of research entirely, and I don't think anyone's suggesting that.

      really?

      http://www.people-press.org/2012/05/15/assessing-the-representativeness-of-public-opinion-surveys/

      It has become increasingly difficult to contact potential respondents and to persuade them to participate. The percentage of households in a sample that are successfully interviewed – the response rate – has fallen dramatically. At Pew Research, the response rate of a typical telephone survey was 36% in 1997 and is just 9% today.

      https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hang_ups.htm

      This very low response rate prompted a hard look at where we lost potential respondents in the survey process.

    38. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      It's surprising that I don't see that opening more often. But when I do, I pounce. :^)

      --
      By the way, this is actually my third account. I couldn't remember the passwords of the first two, and no longer had the email accounts they knew. The funny part is people think my nick is actually a true description, and don't realize that I've been reading this site since 2001.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    39. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's harder to cheat at tennis... (love-30)

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    40. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck off with your stupid god shit.

    41. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's sort of a silly nit-picking. Yes, some people have open relationships. Yes, some A-M pairings are totally legitimate. However, I haven't seen anyone quote statistics showing that >50% of A-M pairings are open relationships on both sides.

    42. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      What is the log and what is the mote in parent's statements?

      Don't lust after other women,

      thanks mister christian for deciding that you needed to dispense this advice to those who haven't partaken of your kool-aid

    43. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      I pay no attention to the numbers. I read since the early 2000s, before I could be bothered to register... ACs used to have class.

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    44. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you kidding? There are people out there who consider a woman even showing anything but her face "cheating".

    45. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      No one calls that "cheating." That's called "swinging" or "having an open relationship."

      This was a website for cheaters.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    46. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      I would. I most whole heartedly would. They are unreliable for the very reason that they are an annoyance and a bother and self-select to a certain group of individuals.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    47. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Nobody from the phone survey industry is suggesting that. But lots of others have.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    48. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      You must be new around here.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    49. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People do this. I know of a pastor who was "defrocked" and thrown out of the church for having an "emotional affair" - no physical intimacy but simply falling in love with another woman, so yes, people really do this.

    50. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go die in a fedora factory fire, edgelord.

    51. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 2

      Okay well again that's one perspective. The point I'm making is that I see no reason why we should attach special emotional value to sex in this age of contraceptives. I mean I can be friends with whoever but stick a dick into the mix and suddenly there's this whole cultural framework that swings into action, expectations and semi-elaborated rituals.

      Maybe we all need to grow up and act like adults.

    52. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by inasity_rules · · Score: 1

      AC, I understood. You I don't.

      If you object to his advice - it is not unbiblical for him to give it - simply a waste of his time(and yours). John the Baptist gave advice and lost his head, so I suppose he might die from it, but I certainly would not call it sinful. Remember, the one with the mote (in the passage) is a "brother". Different rules apply.

      Now, if he were to do a John Calvin and punish you for not taking his advice, that would be another story. In that case I might even have strong words for him.

      --
      I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
    53. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe a disease or injury has rendered one member of the marriage incapable of sexual intimacy, but they are both still in love and have an otherwise healthy relationship.

      If one has to just go without from then on, and suffers sexual frustration from this, and eventually gets divorced because of this, leaving them both sad...you think THAT is the proper and morally-appropriate ending?

      If one just gets sexual needs satisfied outside of the marriage, and that allows them to live together and support each other and remain happily married, isn't that a much better ending? I would argue that the extramarital sex is the morally-appropriate thing to do in this case, precisely because it winds up meeting the needs of everyone concerned, and saves the marriage.

      Your absolutist puritanism creates suffering and injustice.

    54. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1. You forgot to click the AC box. LOL
      2. This is a site explicitly for cheating. This invalidates everything you typed. It is for people who want to cheat. Not "extramarital intimacy." Cheating on your spouse. Whatever lets you sleep at night.

    55. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally, I am always amused when Christians (and I am one) try to enforce their morals on others. The Bible clearly indicates it won't work.

      And Paul told us explicitly to not do that.

      1 Corinthians 5

    56. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      _numerous_ happy and healthy relationships has gone to the sh*ts too. And it is hard to hide an open relationship. Why it is called "open" :) Those actually seek other partners openly. Had a wife on a couple I knew ask me for sex. I declined. Yes, they seemed happy. 2 years later they were divorced, because he suddenly found someone whom he gave more attention to than his wife. Even though they had the agreement of open relationship. And that is just one case of many known. Relationships are like a scale. As soon one side takes a higher load, it tips. An observation that never seem to fail.

    57. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Off topic, and AC, but, I think that there are several components to this.

      1) Cell phones are more personal, it used to cost us money every time someone called, not so much anymore, but the more restrictive attitude about who should be calling us has stayed.

      2) Technology led to widespread abuse of robo-dialing, which lead to the national DNC registry, but its all too little too late. Many people are now just completely intolerant of salesman and pseudo salesman calling.

      3) Our data has been exploited much more extensively and people are tired of it. So much so that people don't want to answer your survey without some compensation. You're making money off of my answers, you should pay me for them.

    58. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I modded this one up, because My wife and my girlfriends get along great!

      There are lots of poly people! Many do not talk about it because there are so many that get upset over the thought. There are even more that feel it is there job to enforce christian morals.

      No lies == No cheating

    59. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      ACs used to have class.

      Was that during the GNAA years, or during the slashfic years?

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    60. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Okay well again that's one perspective. The point I'm making is that I see no reason why we should attach special emotional value to sex in this age of contraceptives. I mean I can be friends with whoever but stick a dick into the mix and suddenly there's this whole cultural framework that swings into action, expectations and semi-elaborated rituals.

      Maybe we all need to grow up and act like adults.

      Because our umpteen million year old neural wiring, and the hormone production attached to it, has not moved from the point of equating sex == procreation. And procreation means the (potential) care and nurture of children.

    61. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Adults get married and stay committed to their family.

    62. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe it's about time to open up the conversation on why we find one physical activity with another person to be taboo, but not another

      You fucking idiot.

      Being cheated on is worse than being raped. Chew on that, you thick fuck. Chew on it and choke while you try to excuse one of the worst possible things a human can do to another human.

    63. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      I started reading /. a few months before 9/11/2001. I had a new job that spring that put me in an office with some spare time, and it was one of the tech sites I discovered. But I didn't make an account for a year or so.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    64. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Cinnamon+Beige · · Score: 1

      What is the log and what is the mote in parent's statements?

      Don't lust after other women,

      thanks mister christian for deciding that you needed to dispense this advice to those who haven't partaken of your kool-aid

      Make it gender-neutral and you'll find it excellent advice for keeping any romantic relationship working: Focus on your partner(s), don't start pre-planning cheating on them, don't make it easy for you to justify to yourself cheating on them, make a point of doing relationship maintenance things like 'having conversations with to your partner(s),' and you're not likely to feel any need to cheat.

      If you feel the need to cheat despite all of that, it's probably time to GTFO or at least force counseling if you're for some reason still determined to stay together.

      That said: Cheating here is specifically infidelity--open relationships are different, though I'm going to give somebody who says they're in one yet was using Ashley Madison strange looks. (I'd personally go for one of the sites catering to the open relationships and/or polyamory crowd--I'm more likely to find somebody there who'd be fine if my partner wanted to meet them, if nothing else.)

    65. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      with the possible exception of various extremist religious groups

      What makes them extremist? That they expect fidelity between spouses? Wow. So fucking extreme. Hey everyone! LOOK AT THE LOONEY TUNES that take marriage vows seriously!

      They believe in honesty? EXTREMISM!!!

      Fuck you.

      Every major religion expresses the importance of fidelity within marriage. Even Buddhism, the self-proclaimed, least-restrictive religion on the planet. The people that believe in "Open Marriages" or whatever the fuck you're advocating are the extremists, by definition. So while you go about attempting to deprave and destroy all civilization within your earshot, I'm gonna go ahead and tell you to eat shit and die.

    66. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >When you define any extramarital intimacy as "cheating", you've already cut off the debate paths that the victims from the summary illustrate

      Unwanted (by the other partner) extramarital intimacy is "cheating". Permission given extramarital intimacy is called "swinging".

      There are two words for the very purpose of cutting off debate: Pointless debate. You cheat when your partner entered into a monogamous relationship and has either never expressed interest in changing the monogamy OR you have not explained to your spouse that you are changing that term (and are willing to understand that since you are changing the terms of the relationship, the marriage deal as it stands is invalid and the other partner will need to either agree to modify the terms of the relationship or end the relationship).

      You swing when your spouse and yourself (or even just your spouse if the partner has no interest but doesn't care about your extramarital intimacy) have expressed that you wish to have an open marriage.

      The difference is key and AM has repeatedly explained their site caters to cheaters. ie: Those who will not tell their spouse they are looking for extramarital intimacy specifically because their spouse wants to continue a monogamous relationship.

      This isn't puritanical, this is simply a matter of one partner wanting to breach a contract behind someone's back. I look at it no different than working at company X as a salesman while then taking a part-time job at company Y and giving company Y all of company X's contacts (against the employment contract), all the while getting paid by both companies.

      Of course, if company X says "Hey, no probs mate, go for it" regarding copying the data, I would not think of the person as a scumbag. Otherwise, yup, horrible scumbag. Unsurprisingly, like open marriage, the vast majority of companies do not have open contact databases.

      The collateral damage here is that there are now spouses who thought they had a deal, and that deal has gone bust. They are left with having to either work out a new deal (rare) or simply dissolving everything they worked hard to build between them. The blame lies squarely on the asshole that is cheating. Sympathy to the cheated-on spouses.

      Those that had open marriages have nothing to worry about except possibly embarrassment to actual puritans. Let me tell you this: Those are the very rare people who do deserve my sympathy.

    67. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On the other hand, God is totally OK with you having concubines. And that is not cheating, at least as far as all the early Christians were concerned.

    68. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Jhon · · Score: 1

      "and suddenly there's this whole cultural framework that swings into action, expectations and semi-elaborated rituals."

      Evolution isn't just about biology -- it's about culture, too. If there are 'taboos' it's because they serve a purpose. If there are 'semi-elaborate' rituals, then it is likewise because they serve a purpose.

    69. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read the definition you replied to (and quoted).
      "If ... everyone involved (spouse included) is okay with it, then it isn't cheating."

      Then you go on to ask "what about the other person that the spouse is involved with?"
      Are they part of "everyone involved"? Yes.
      Is the other party's spouse (if applicable) part of "everyone involved"? Yes.

      Then return to the proffered definition, "If...everyone involved (spouse included) is okay with it, then it isn't cheating."

      Cheating is, by definition, doing something forbidden by the rules.
      If the people involved have all agreed that a particular action is *not* forbidden by the rules, then taking such action, by definition, isn't cheating.

      Note: Your particular set of rules may be different than another person's (or couple's) set of rules. *Your* rules don't come into play unless you are actually *involved* in the situation. If it's you, or your spouse or significant other, then you are involved. Otherwise, you are not.

    70. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Nyder · · Score: 1

      Actually, some of us do. For instance, those of us who try to follow Christ also, by definition, try to give at least some consideration to how Jesus defined it:

      "27 You have heard that it was said to those of old,[c] 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

      (Matt. 5:27-28, NKJV)

      The lesson: Big sins usually start off as small ones. Don't lust after other women, don't think about cheating, don't put yourself in the position where you might, don't neglect your marriage to the point where you feel you need to, and chances are pretty good that you won't.

      We also try to remember that if God has forgiven us our sins against Him, then we also ought to be willing to forgive those who sin against us. Most marriages can be saved if both partners are willing to save it, and, sometimes, even if one of them is not.

      The bible says it's okay for your daughters to get you drunk and have sex with you also.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    71. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, really. Even your own freaking links to attempt to refute the claim that nobody is suggesting throwing out phone surveys as a valid method of research DOESN'T SAY TO THROW OUT PHONE SURVEYS. It says to review methodologies to figure out why response levels have dropped so significantly. (The articles even suggest some probable causes, and posit some ideas on how to address them.)

      Also note that the ages of the surveys being discussed put the one you were replying about *well* before the more recent drop off in response rates. This makes your entire post a non-sequitur.

    72. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And how does Ashley Madison verify that the spouse doesn't know about it, again? Do they call them up, ask, and then throw the money back at the person and say "nope, won't take it now"?

    73. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Still waiting to hear why that has anything whatsoever to do with monogamy in the age of the condom.

    74. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Semi elaboratED, as in not enunciated. I mean look at this, we have people killing themselves because they may have harmlessly banged genitalia off of other willing adults. Enough is enough.

    75. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not religious, but what you said doesn't follow from his/her comment.

    76. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      Maybe we all need to grow up and act like adults.

      In other words, you're arguing to "put the adult back into adultery," right? :)

    77. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's about time to open up the conversation on why we find one physical activity with another person to be taboo, but not another (like say tennis).

      In a 1991 study, sex researcher Shere Hite found that 70 percent of married women have cheated on their partners; a 1993 follow-up study found that 72 percent of married men have as well. According to a 2004 University of Chicago study, 25 percent of married men have had at least one extramarital affair.

      Interestingly, for the past few decades, surveys have consistently shown that only 5-8% of people find adultery "morally acceptable," while 90+% always find it "morally wrong."

      So, even if your study numbers are accurate, some simply math shows it's pretty clear that the vast majority of those cheaters are willing to morally condemn their own behavior.

      I'm noMaybe it's about time to open up the conversation on why we find one physical activity with another person to be taboo, but not another (like say tennis). In a 1991 study, sex researcher Shere Hite found that 70 percent of married women have cheated on their partners; a 1993 follow-up study found that 72 percent of married men have as well. According to a 2004 University of Chicago study, 25 percent of married men have had at least one extramarital affair. t saying I disagree with your idea that perhaps people should talk about these numbers. But whether people cheat or not, it seems clear that VAST majorities disapprove of the behavior in general... probably because in most cases they wouldn't want to be deceived and cheated upon (even if they did it themselves). And that observation perhaps speaks just to how strongly people want to BELIEVE in the idea of fidelity, even if they may not be very good at it.

    78. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe we all need to grow up and act like adults.

      And by adult you mean bonobos?

    79. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fuck you!

    80. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Tom · · Score: 1

      The lesson: Big sins usually start off as small ones

      The real lesson: If you want to control people, make them feel guilty about something they have little conscious control over.

      I cannot control my instincts, there are dozens of studies proving that many things like noticing something of interest in your environment happens unconsciously and your conscious mind is only informed after the fact and then makes up a story about how it was responsible.

      I can control my actions. Standing up and hitting on that woman is something that does not happen unconsciously.

      Any religion that makes me feel bad because of things not under my control, instead of for that which is mine to answer for, is evil.

      We also try to remember that if God has forgiven us our sins against Him, then we also ought to be willing to forgive those who sin against us. Most marriages can be saved if both partners are willing to save it, and, sometimes, even if one of them is not.

      That is true, and needs to reference to imaginary friends.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    81. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Judge not, lest ye be judged, motherfucker.

      Matthew 7.1

      (that was my own translation)

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    82. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      ACs used to have ass.

      It was during the goatse years.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    83. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's about time to open up the conversation on why we find one physical activity with another person to be taboo, but not another (like say tennis).

      Monogamy is a ridiculous concept and I have no other explanation other than like religion, it's been around so long that people just automatically assume it must be true. Social monogamy has it's benefits, but I see no reason to restrict ourselves to sexual monogamy. Sex with new partners is fun, and as long as we accept the encounter as purely physical enjoyment, I see no reason why married people shouldn't be able to fool around with others.

    84. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Anyone who thinks that ACs used to have more class is new here. Not must be, not probably is, but is. Or, just fucking deluded.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    85. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Actually, some of us do. For instance, those of us who try to follow Christ...

      The same ones that fuck children? Give us a break from your hypocritical shit....

    86. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      Well, gee, glad it wasn't me that said it then. Carry on.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    87. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      In the first place, you don't actually have the legal right to fuck your spouse. In the second place, support to the divorced spouse is usually not that big a deal anymore. What is a problem is that the mother usually gets custody of the children, and often is not held accountable for using child support for the child's welfare.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    88. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      umm Jeff you didn't post as AC

    89. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      I still remember the first time I saw a "Stephen King is dead" post. I went to the news sites to see what they had to say about his untimely passing. Not one of those heartless bastards was mourning him at all. It took a few minutes to figure out it was a joke. (Because, honestly, who would joke about Stephen King dying?)

      Oh well, at least I hadn't announced the false story to the whole office.

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
    90. Re:When you define anything as "cheating"... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      How could you tell?

      ;^)

      --
      If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
  6. spouse with medical condition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yep. Been there. Thankfully signed up for a free account under a pseudonym with a throw-away hotmail address. Never gave them any credit card info nor other identifying info. Never did anything but browse. Whew...

    1. Re:spouse with medical condition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Why go to an adultery site instead of, say, a swingers site? Or even search classifieds on Craigslist or something?

    2. Re:spouse with medical condition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why go to an adultery site instead of, say, a swingers site?

      This is akin to me asking someone why they bought some CAT5 off Amazon instead of going to Monoprice. Amazon is the big name brand, it's where many people are going to go.

    3. Re:spouse with medical condition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol http://www.fetlife.com/ is the big name

      AM does not even hit my radar.

    4. Re:spouse with medical condition by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Among swingers? No.

  7. I feel for you and all but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    one user who commented on the article said she's been "a long term member" of the site because her spouse's medical condition has affected their intimate life. Her spouse knows she's engaged with other Ashley Madison members, she says, but now fears she will likely lose friends and have to find a new job now that her association with the site is out there.

    That's too bad and I feel sorry for these people but for fuck's sake, why the hell did you think using a site like this would EVER be safe? You want to meet up and hook up with other people and your spouse is okay with it? Fine. You want to be poly and love whomever you like? Fine. You want to be in an open relationship? Fine. But if you want that shit kept private, DO THAT SHIT OFFLINE.

    1. Re:I feel for you and all but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      one user who commented on the article said she's been "a long term member" of the site because her spouse's medical condition has affected their intimate life. Her spouse knows she's engaged with other Ashley Madison members, she says, but now fears she will likely lose friends and have to find a new job now that her association with the site is out there.

      That's too bad and I feel sorry for these people but for fuck's sake, why the hell did you think using a site like this would EVER be safe? You want to meet up and hook up with other people and your spouse is okay with it? Fine. You want to be poly and love whomever you like? Fine. You want to be in an open relationship? Fine. But if you want that shit kept private, DO THAT SHIT OFFLINE.

      Offline, you say? OK, I'll bite.

      Feel free to let me know exactly HOW humans are to DO THAT SHIT OFFLINE these days.

      From internet browsing history to cell phone tracking to even finding %randomstranger in a bar where the security/surveillance cameras found you lurking for the bartender to post online....wake up and realize there's not much of your life that humans are even capable of keeping "OFFLINE" these days.

      And that SHIT is only going to get worse.

    2. Re:I feel for you and all but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Feel free to let me know exactly HOW humans are to DO THAT SHIT OFFLINE these days.

      The same way they always did before the internet. You meet people. You talk to them. You become friends with them. You get close to them. You develop relationships with them. Do you seriously think people aren't able to meet people to screw or have relationships AFK?

  8. No "morally acceptable" sites? by Wattos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While I believe that there might be some people who had no "morally" dubious intents, I fail to see why anyone with a traditional moral compass would sign up for this website.

    Even if you are not married and simply looking for a one nighter, you are still signing up to site where married people are looking for an affair. It is right on their main landing page: "Life is too short, Have an affair". While it sucks for them, I feel it difficult to feel pity for them when signing up to a website which main intend is to make is to make it easy for people to cheat.

    The other people could have simply signed up for a different website where the main intent is not cheating. It seems there would be plenty, and none of them are getting hacked

    1. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      While I believe that there might be some people who had no "morally" dubious intents, I fail to see why anyone with a traditional moral compass would sign up for this website

      Exactly, this is like calling on terrorists to clean out the vermin in your attic and then wondering why the authorities are so upset with you.

    2. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I fail to see why anyone with a traditional moral compass would sign up for this website.

      A single person looking to meet whoever they can, maybe they're only in town for a few nights and don't expect any interaction after that.

      Ooooh, wait, I see what you did there. "A traditional moral compass", as in your moral compass. "Why would anyone who's great like me do this?" Yeah, ok champ, why indeed?

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    3. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by roninmagus · · Score: 2

      Uh, nope, sorry. The site advertises itself as a place for people wanting to cheat on their spouses to do so. The moral compass being touted here is the moral compass of millions of people who do not do such things. This has nothing to do with a single person looking for a fling.

      Those worried about being exposed, frankly, should be. Data security arguments aside.

    4. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 2

      Yes, so they're looking to have sex with a married person, without the knowledge or consent of the married person's spouse. This was not a website for swingers, who know what their partners are up to, and are usually participating at the same time.

      Screwing someone else's spouse behind their back is necessarily deceitful.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    5. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      The site advertises itself as a place for people wanting to cheat on their spouses to do so.

      Yeah, so what? I sign up, if you want to cheat on your spouse, you can cheat with me. What's the problem? The terms of use or policy do not prohibit single people from signing up, and people actually do. When someone wants to hook up they will cast a wide net in order to improve their chances, and a site like AM specifically has people who are probably not looking for anything long-term or involved, which is attractive to a lot of people. Look at Tinder. AM probably has a lot of people who do not have accounts on other dating sites, so again, more opportunity for people looking to get laid.

      This has nothing to do with a single person looking for a fling.

      According to who, you? Because according to Troy Hunt, the security researcher linked in the summary (did you make it all the way through the summary?), he's fielding emails from single people who were doing just that wondering what their options are now that there are credit card transactions out there.

      If you think that 100% of the AM membership is married people trying to have an affair, you're delusional. The site is (was) about 14% women and 86% men. Out of those ~27.5 million men, you can be damn sure many of them are single just trying to get laid and nothing else, which happens on literally every other dating site.

      The moral compass being touted here is the moral compass of millions of people who do not do such things.

      The "right" people, correct? Because they live the "correct" way, and people who don't have something wrong with them. Got it.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    6. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      If I had a wife and found out she's banging some other guy who knows she's married, about 90% of my anger is going to be directed at her. The guy is just doing what may be natural to him, even if it's disrespectful to me (which is the source of my anger at him). The wife is the person who is engaged in deceit. The only reason the guy doesn't want me knowing about it is because he wants it to continue.

      Yes, so they're looking to have sex with a married person, without the knowledge or consent of the married person's spouse.

      I would suggest the guy is looking to have sex with *any* woman, regardless of her social situation. He doesn't give a shit that she's married, it's not like he's only going after married women. He's casting a wide net and accepting all invitations. What he's doing is not necessarily deceitful, especially if he's meeting strangers on the internet and doesn't even know their spouses. He's just trying to get laid and doesn't care who it is.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    7. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The thing is though that this site is for married persons not for single people looking for a quickie. They have Craig's list for that.

    8. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      He's just trying to get laid and doesn't care who it is.

      I understand that. And I'm saying it's immoral to knowingly bang someone else's spouse. You are helping them hurt their spouse.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    9. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      Clarification: "And I'm saying it's immoral to knowingly bang someone else's spouse without their permission."

      I'm only talking about cheating here, not swinging.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    10. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is a simple answer to this.

      Ashley Madison is more expensive than other sites. The fee discourages casual snooping by people who are just curious to see who else in town has an account.

      This, more than their "security guarantee", is why it seemed more discreet than other sites.

    11. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I don't feel bad for anyone who gets harmed from this.

    12. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by anotheryak · · Score: 1

      I agree that their business is scummy. I first discovered it when I mispasted a web page URL for a Google search and was redirected (either due to a paid DNS redirect or due to Ashley Madison's registration of a domain name similar to a Google typo) to their site. I was fairly disgusted with both their site and their marketing.

      And no, I did not sign up for them.

      That being said, I wonder how many of their customers signed up just out of curiosity to see if the site was for real...or during a frustrated moment at a down point in their relationship. Where the signup itself was the extent of the cheating, just to let off steam about the situation. Like reading the personal ads in a newspaper with no plan to ever contact anyone.

      The other people could have simply signed up for a different website where the main intent is not cheating. It seems there would be plenty, and none of them are getting hacked

      Ashley Madison had not been hacked until it was hacked. The World Trade Center had never fallen down until it did. That means nothing.

    13. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      You are helping them hurt their spouse.

      Not if the spouse never finds out. Or not if the person doing the cheating is in an abusive relationship too scared to leave but still needs actual love. There are any number of reasons why claiming some absolute sense of morality doesn't hold up.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    14. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      Each person has his own view of what is moral or not. Some people will say that sex outside of marriage is immoral. Some people will say homosexuality is immoral. It's less common now, but some people will say sex between people of different skin color is immoral. The Catholic church even said it was immoral to use contraceptives.

      You can take anything anyone could desire, and there's a good probability at least some people will view this as "immoral".

      So for the sake of arguments... can you explain why you view banging someone else's spouse as immoral? What is the basis for this moral judgement? For example, is it because you think the spouse is some form of property, so banging someone else spouse is like stealing?

      As a related question, why do you think it's moral to forbid your spouse to have sex with whoever he or she wants?

    15. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But signing up on the site no more guarantees that they are "looking to have sex with a married person, without the knowledge or consent of the married person's spouse", than signing up on ChristianMingle.com guarantees they are *Christian*, or having an account on Slashdot guarantees you're interested in 'news for nerds, stuff that matters'. People sign up for all sorts of online services for reasons that have everything, a lot, little, or nothing to do with the advertised reason for the service.

    16. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does the site identify swingers and force them to leave and refund their money back? No? Then your argument crumbles.

    17. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by avandesande · · Score: 1

      And how old is this particular moral compass? Like 50 years?

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    18. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fail to see why anyone with a traditional moral compass would sign up for this website.

      Many reasons to sign up other than cheating - I signed up so I could search and make sure my wife wasn't on there.

    19. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by thesandtiger · · Score: 1

      There are numerous studies in which a majority of people admit to cheating on their spouses or partners. When I say "a majority" I mean, in some studies, the rate of people admitting to infidelity (both genders) was around 70%.

      (Just google "percentage of people who cheat on their spouse" and you'll get what I found)

      Take into account that some people would never admit to it, even if promised absolute privacy and the rates are likely higher.

      Is something still traditional if most people don't actually abide by that tradition? Or maybe the tradition is to claim you're faithful but then cheat and feel like shit about it? Humans are pretty weird.

      --
      Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
    20. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you are married and have an arrangement with your spouse that allows extramarital affairs, there aren't many choices for online dating. Most people looking for dates on OKC or Tinder, or whatever, will be turned off the moment you let them know you're married. At AM, the majority of potential dates are explicitly comfortable with you being married, and open to discuss their own situation so you can make an educated decision about it. People's living situations and motivations vary, it doesn't make them morally inferior.

    21. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      The site advertises itself as a place for people wanting to cheat on their spouses to do so.

      Yeah, so what? I sign up, if you want to cheat on your spouse, you can cheat with me. What's the problem?

      What's the problem?

      I suppose none, if you think it's morally okay to be a party to a deception which could potentially rip people's lives apart.

      Don't get me wrong -- I have absolutely no problem with people who want to have "open marriages" or swingers or whatever they want to call it. As long as they are honest and upfront about it, I think people should be free to do whatever they want.

      But if a person is with a partner who believes in fidelity as a moral part of marriage, and that person seeks to deceive that partner while having an affair, yes I do think it's morally wrong to facilitate such actions -- let alone be a direct party to participating in one.

      Affairs are generally not just "little white lies" to most folks. Marriages, to many people, are fundamental relationships where people define their lives, have children, and place a great deal of trust in the strength and honesty of that relationship.

      Maybe people have unreasonable expectations about fidelity. Okay -- then they have options if they don't want to agree to those anymore: they can ask for an open marriage, they can ask for a divorce... or even they can just openly assert to their spouse that they are going ahead with an affair with or without the spouse's consent... and let the spouse determine the correct course of action to take (divorce or whatever).

      Just violating a spouse's trust and continuing to benefit for that spouse's affection and loyalty through deception is immoral. And those who would take advantage of such situations just to score a little sex share in this immorality.

      Again, I have absolutely no problem with anyone who wants to have sex with anyone else, married or not -- as long as they are honest. But when you promise someone not to have sex with other people and benefit from that trust, you have a moral responsibility not to violate it. And if you're a single person who knowingly participates in such should be justly condemned as wella violation, well... yeah, I don't think it's unreasonable to say that's wrong too.

      But hey -- if you don't mind potentially ripping people's lives apart, I guess that's okay for you then.

    22. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      So for the sake of arguments... can you explain why you view banging someone else's spouse as immoral? What is the basis for this moral judgement?

      Marriage is a civil law agreement which generally has the assumption of sexual fidelity. Unless the two spouses agree to waive that part of the agreement, they are bound to it by remaining married.

      Doing otherwise is deceitful. Deliberately participating in a deceitful action that has a propensity to cause a great deal of harm to another is generally considered immoral.

      For example, is it because you think the spouse is some form of property, so banging someone else spouse is like stealing?

      No, and I view such perspectives as patriarchal BS. Spouses are not "property."

      But spouses do enter into agreements as part of marriage. Marital fidelity is generally a standard assumption, as is general openness and honesty.

      I mean, do we really have to go into explaining why participating in deceitful behavior that could ruin people's lives is wrong? Many, many marriages are broken up over secret affairs. You want to have sex with people outside your marriage? I have absolutely no problem with that -- just as long as your spouse agrees. If you go ahead without their knowledge, then you are benefitting from their affection, love, and loyality through deceit. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that such an action is generally wrong, whatever the context.

      As a related question, why do you think it's moral to forbid your spouse to have sex with whoever he or she wants?

      It's generally part of marital agreements in the vast majority of human cultures. It's part of the basic assumption of what it means to "get married." You don't want to agree to that? Fine -- DON'T GET MARRIED. It's that simple.

      Many (perhaps most) people get married because they believe that having such a structure where people voluntarily agree to be faithful to each other has mutual benefits.

      Some people don't want to be part of such an agreement. Fine -- they shouldn't get married. Or, if they do get married and find it no longer suits them, they should get a divorce (or try to ask for an "open marriage" or whatever). But they do NOT have the moral high ground if they lie to keep the benefits of their married life while secretly violating their agreement with their spouse.

      I have no problem if someone wants to have sex with whomever, married or not. I have a big problem with people who make a critical agreement as part of a legal contract and then break the terms of that agreement while lying to maintain the benefits of the agreement. I don't care whether this is a marriage contract or a business contract or whatever -- it's morally wrong.

    23. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Literally hundreds of millions of people cheat on their spouses every year. Hundreds of millions. The "moral compass" you are talking about doesn't exist - in fact many of the ones who tout a moral compass are the biggest cheats of them all.

    24. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Boronx · · Score: 1

      Don't you think it's a bit childish to demand sexual fidelity from someone?

    25. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      Marriage is a civil law agreement which generally has the assumption of sexual fidelity. Unless the two spouses agree to waive that part of the agreement, they are bound to it by remaining married.

      No, they are not legally bound to it. Unless your marriage contract has some weird (and potentially invalid) clauses, you can't sue your spouse for cheating. It now won't even be taken into consideration when, for example, calculating alimony.

      As for fidelity being an assumption, even though there's no real stats about it, the idea that a lot of people will cheat is well accepted. Because of that, still having this assumption of fidelity is pretty much wishful thinking.

      Deliberately participating in a deceitful action that has a propensity to cause a great deal of harm to another is generally considered immoral.

      Infidelity does not cause direct harm. Any harm someone may feel because of infidelity is only in his own head. It's the same kind of harm some religious fanatics claim when someone "insults" their religion. We do not have a moral obligation to bow to anyone "sensitivities", no matter how they will be psychologically affected by the destruction of their illusions.

      No, and I view such perspectives as patriarchal BS. Spouses are not "property."

      Women demand ownership of spouses as much as men. I fail to see the "patriarchy" in this.

      I mean, do we really have to go into explaining why participating in deceitful behavior that could ruin people's lives is wrong?

      Yes, you do. Please explain how your spouse having sex with someone else will "ruin" your life. If she cut your penis, sure. But if she just has sex one night with a coworker and then come home, can you explain what are the consequences you will have to suffer?

      I can understand why you think a legal contract should generally be respected (of course sometimes respecting a legal contract can be morally wrong), but fidelity is simply not part of the legal contract.

      What next? Will you say the obligation to cherish your spouse until death is also part of the contract?

      Don't get me wrong, I will consider lying for personal gain as morally wrong, but saying banging someone else's spouse is morally wrong is only based on an idea of control, idea of control which in itself could be qualified as morally wrong.

    26. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by vux984 · · Score: 1

      Each person has his own view of what is moral or not.

      Who views betraying someone's trust, and deceiving them about something they hold to be very important as "moral"?

      Some people will say that sex outside of marriage is immoral. Some people will say homosexuality is immoral. It's less common now, but some people will say sex between people of different skin color is immoral. The Catholic church even said it was immoral to use contraceptives.

      None of those clearly and unequivocally hurt someone the way cheating on them does.

      can you explain why you view banging someone else's spouse as immoral?

      Participating in your partner's deception of their partner.

      As a related question, why do you think it's moral to forbid your spouse to have sex with whoever he or she wants?

      I don't, per se. But if I tell my spouse I am faithful then its immoral not to be. And vice versa. The deception is the root of the immorality.

      My spouse and I made an agreement to be faithful. If either of us wishes to break that agreement then we owe the other person the truth; and an opportunity to make a new agreement or to go our separate ways.

      Anything else is deception and is immoral.

    27. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Tom · · Score: 1

      I fail to see why anyone with a traditional moral compass would sign up for this website.

      So what about people with a more modern moral compass?

      Even if you are not married and simply looking for a one nighter, you are still signing up to site where married people are looking for an affair.

      One of the things that people who are merely looking for sexual encounters are afraid of is getting involved with someone who wants more. The same way that men pretend to be interested in love in order to get some sex, there are women who pretend to be interested in sex in order to get some love.

      Sleeping with married women is actually a very old method to make sure there will be none of that, if you don't want it.

      The other people could have simply signed up for a different website where the main intent is not cheating. It seems there would be plenty, and none of them are getting hacked

      Yeah, aiding and abetting. It is a valid argument. However, so is letting other people mind their own business. When you work in a shop, do you always check if the people buying your stuff can afford it, or do you leave it to them to decide?

      Look, here's the thing: Sure, AM business model is based on something that we as society reject. But strangely, it has millions of users. So, speaking as society, we reject it and the same time desire it enough to spend considerable amounts of money.

      Maybe instead of the talk about morals we should have a talk with ourselves about this incongruity?

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    28. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      So?

      Apple used to advertise itself as for people who "think different". Clearly that wasn't the case becaue for a while they were the single most popular brand of computer, and clearly they didn't weant people who thought different, they wanted people who actually thought the same as the largest category and bought their stuff.

      Or if you prefer, many sportswear companies advertise the fitness lifestyle but actually sell to people who want to wear sportsear during the day as a fashion statement.

      IOW companies advertise to how people like to think of themselves, not necessarily as they are.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
    29. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Uh, nope, sorry. The site advertises itself as a place for people wanting to cheat on their spouses to do so.

      The key word there being 'advertises'. Like most advertising, you shouldn't read too much into the sales pitch.

      The moral compass being touted here is the moral compass of millions of people who do not do such things.

      There is data that implies that many more millions of people do do such things, so you need to be careful deciding which behaviour is the most normal.

    30. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      Swingers as a group deplore cheaters. Their lifestyle is based on honesty. Being open and honest with partners about their desires, and trusting their partners to have sex with another person as per whatever rules they have set for themselves. They must also be able to trust the people their partners swing with, that these people will not expose them to the broader public, are truthful when they say they're clean of STDs, and will not exceed whatever boundaries they've set. If you're going to let another man fuck your wife, you need to trust that man. If the man is married and his wife doesn't know he's fucking people outside of their marriage, he is necessarily untrustworthy. A man who would lie to his wife about fucking people outside of marriage will absolutely lie to you about not having herpes.

      People talk about "oh but what about swingers on AM?" but I haven't seen any interviewed, and I haven't seen any comments on /., or reddit, or anywhere where anyone has said "we are swingers exposed by the AM hack." Why? Because swingers wouldn't go there. What about your hypothetical swingers on AM? They don't exist. And anybody telling you they were on AM "but only for swinging!" is probably lying.

      So, your argument is shit.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    31. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      can you explain why you view banging someone else's spouse as immoral?

      Only without their consent. You want to swing? Fine. Swing. But swinging is about openness and honesty. Swingers do not find sex outside of marriage immoral. They find lying about sex outside of marriage to be immoral. And at the very least unethical.

      What is the basis for this moral judgement?

      "Malicious deceit" is immoral, and at least unethical. Do you have no problem when someone maliciously lies to you? If you don't understand why that's wrong, you might be some kind of sociopath. Is that what you do? You maliciously lie to people to get things you want?

      This AM hack is great. We're finding out who the sociopaths are.

      For example, is it because you think the spouse is some form of property, so banging someone else spouse is like stealing?

      No, but you have a very, very deep interest in the relationship. It is the basis of your family. If you don't understand why people care about their families, you might be a sociopath.

      As a related question, why do you think it's moral to forbid your spouse to have sex with whoever he or she wants?

      As a related question, when did you stop raping and murdering toddlers?

      When you get married, you make an agreement that you will make sexual decisions together, and will not engage in sexual activities unless you both consent to them. You're not "forbidding" the spouse, the spouse is breaking the agreement that you will both consent to whatever sexual activities either of you engage in.

      Do you really not understand any of this? This is all news to you? Sociopath...

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    32. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      Morality does not work that way. Decisions do not become retroactively immoral.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    33. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who cares about swingers? They are not qualified to pass moral judgment on people any more than anyone else is.

    34. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. Do you? Do children even know what 'fidelity' means?

    35. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

      The swingers are not the ones passing judgment. People defending cheaters are trying to gain sympathy by saying swingers are hurt by the leak, too. But they're not, because swingers would be very, very, very unlikely to use AM. Might as well say publishing the names of people who look at child porn would be bad, because it would expose some Catholic priests (whom you happen to support). Yes, but hopefully very few, and only the bad ones.

      Assume both Bob and Alice dislike cheaters because they value honesty, and cheaters are not honest. Neither of them care about the morality of sex outside of marriage, only the ethics of lying about sex outside of marriage.

      The argument goes like this:

      Bob: The AM leak is good because fuck cheaters.

      Alice: The AM leak is bad because while I agree fuck cheaters because they are dishonest, the leak also exposes swingers, who are honest.

      Bob: There are unlikely to be swingers on AM, because swingers generally do not associate with cheaters, for reasons both moral (their lifestyle is based on honesty) and practical (they can't trust a known liar to not lie about STDs, and they would rather avoid the drama of being targeted by a jilted spouse). Also, AM is a sausage fest, and swinging is most often a couples' activity. And if you just want a dude, those are not hard to find, and single dudes can be found on swingers' websites too.

      Alice: Oh, so the AM leak really is just cheaters and those who have no problem with cheating. Fuck them.

      --
      We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
    36. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      Marriages, to many people, are fundamental relationships where people define their lives, have children, and place a great deal of trust in the strength and honesty of that relationship.

      And what does it say when one or both of the partners in that relationship decides to break that trust? People get married for the wrong reasons all the time. People who have no business being married decide that they should because that's what society expects of them. But you don't sound like you're casting your moral judgment on people who get married for the wrong reasons.

      But hey -- if you don't mind potentially ripping people's lives apart, I guess that's okay for you then.

      Obviously a lot of people don't mind, because it's not their life. If you haven't noticed there are a lot of selfish people around. Thankfully they have you to remind them what universal morality means.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    37. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      I don't even know how that statement applies to the discussion. You're talking about helping people hurt their spouses. That is not always the case. I would even suggest that there are situations where cheating could be considered the moral course of action.

      My point to all of this is that morality is not as universal as you seem to assume.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    38. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

      No, they are not legally bound to it. Unless your marriage contract has some weird (and potentially invalid) clauses, you can't sue your spouse for cheating. It now won't even be taken into consideration when, for example, calculating alimony.

      That depends on the state. Currently, in 21 states, adultery is still a criminal offense. It is very rarely prosecuted, but the laws are still on the books. In the majority of states, adultery can be taken into account to some extent in divorce settlements when determining division of property, alimony, or child custody.

      You're correct that in some states adultery has very little standing in marital cases and divorces, but those principles vary significantly from state to state. It is still a generally established legal principle in most states that sexual fidelity is a general expectation in marriage. And it tends to be an official legal reason for divorce (in states that still allow divorce "for cause," rather than only "no-fault" divorces).

      As for fidelity being an assumption, even though there's no real stats about it, the idea that a lot of people will cheat is well accepted. Because of that, still having this assumption of fidelity is pretty much wishful thinking.

      Given that polls have consistently shown that 90+% of the American public believes adultery is "morally wrong," it may be "wishful thinking" for some people or some relationships -- but clearly it is an established social and moral expectation.

      Infidelity does not cause direct harm. Any harm someone may feel because of infidelity is only in his own head. It's the same kind of harm some religious fanatics claim when someone "insults" their religion. We do not have a moral obligation to bow to anyone "sensitivities", no matter how they will be psychologically affected by the destruction of their illusions.

      Every marriage is different, but at its basis it is an agreement about a relationship between two parties. As I said in the post you replied to, I have absolutely no problem with those two parties allowing sex with whomever if that's what they wish.

      Again, the problem is deception and fidelity to the agreement. If you want to get married and have a clear and open agreement with your spouse that allows you to have an "open marriage," I have absolutely NO problem with that.

      But clearly established legal opinion and the vast majority of public opinion believes adultery to be incompatible with the "default" position of a marital agreement. If you don't want a part of that, either don't get married, or be clear with your spouse about the fact that you expect an open marriage. Doing otherwise is benefitting from someone else in significant ways through deceit.

      I can understand why you think a legal contract should generally be respected (of course sometimes respecting a legal contract can be morally wrong), but fidelity is simply not part of the legal contract.

      Yes, it is in many states, as I already mentioned. But regardless of LEGAL circumstances -- there's also the morality of general agreements too.

      Even if you don't have a legal right to sue someone for a breach of a particular contract, there is a notion of moral "fair dealing" and "honesty" in most contractual agreements. You posed your questions initially in moral terms, not only legal ones. Even if the law does not compel you to act in certain ways, morality may still dictate that certain courses are right and wrong.

      Generally speaking, lying to someone to gain their affection (not to mention all the other benefits that generally accrue in marriages -- financial, social, etc.) is morally wrong.

      What next? Will you say the obligation to cherish your spouse until death is also part of the con

    39. Re:No "morally acceptable" sites? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      Something like 30% of people on Tinder have gonorrhea. If you wanted a quickie and wanted to make sure your partner was clean, wouldn't a site for married people make sense?

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  9. RE: $380K by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I love how now they're willing to spend $380K as a reward after the fact. They should have spent that money on their security in the first place.

  10. Just like any other data breach by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The added schadenfreude of it being a website for people interested in cheating on established relationships is just a sideshow.

    Sony
    OPM
    Anthem
    Target
    Home Depot

    The list goes on and on. These people collect all this information into central repositories that are neon targets of opportunity for criminals. Still think digitizing your records is a good idea?

  11. under the surface by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

    These people had already checked out of life, and the suicide was just a follow through.

    I do feel bad for them ... but they got treated exactly they way they treated others. Secretly broken commitments ...

  12. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Pretty sure laws don't stop hackers. I also doubt these laws would ever become reality.

  13. Poor choice of service? by barc0001 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    " one user who commented on the article said she's been "a long term member" of the site because her spouse's medical condition has affected their intimate life. Her spouse knows she's engaged with other Ashley Madison members, she says, but now fears she will likely lose friends and have to find a new job now that her association with the site is out there."

    At the end of the day these people signed up for a site whose primary market is marital infidelity. I feel a bit sorry for the woman referenced above, but I also have to wonder if the partners of the people she's "engaged with" on AM were as accepting as her husband was. I kind of doubt it.

    There are a lot of other sites out there that don't specifically target cheating that she could have used instead. By choosing to have her hookups through that site she was pretty much guaranteeing that she was actively screwing around with someone else's relationship.

    1. Re:Poor choice of service? by sherr · · Score: 1

      Wrong. Not everyone one the site is married, the purpose of the site is to pair up *someone* (who may or may not be single) with someone who is married and looking to be infidelitous. In the described scenario, the women married to the guy with the medical condition is fulfilling the cheating requirement, hence why she is on this site. For all you know she may have specifically selected to only be paired up with single men, specifically to avoid screwing around with someone else's relationship. If you truly feel a bit sorry for the women then you have to acknowledge that this is actually the correct site for her to be on, as users of a regular dating website would not be expecting and probably be very weirded out by finding out she was married.

    2. Re:Poor choice of service? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and by being on that type of site she was most likely pretty much guaranteeing that the other person was also in a marriage and perhaps had no intent of leaving it, and thus was also looking for some "side action", so to speak.

    3. Re:Poor choice of service? by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      The front page tagline of the site is "Life is short - Have an affair". It is NOT a place for single people, no matter how many people try to spin it otherwise.

      "If you truly feel a bit sorry for the women then you have to acknowledge that this is actually the correct site for her to be on"

      Wrong.

      "as users of a regular dating website would not be expecting and probably be very weirded out by finding out she was married."

      Oh please. I know several people in open relationships who use PoF and OK Cupid with no problem at all.

    4. Re:Poor choice of service? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By choosing to have her hookups through that site she was pretty much guaranteeing that she was actively screwing around with someone else's relationship.

      You are too though. By creating all of this social pressure to harm "cheaters" and push their spouses to leave them you're also screwing around in other people's relationships.

    5. Re:Poor choice of service? by vux984 · · Score: 1

      f you truly feel a bit sorry for the women then you have to acknowledge that this is actually the correct site for her to be on

      To quote you: "Wrong." There are plenty of sites that cater to people with open marriages. She could have joined any one of them with a pseudonym.

      I do feel a bit sorry for her, but any site she might have joined could have been hacked, and her "secret" exposed. Or her secret could have gotten out another way.

      Then again, she was still patronizing a site run by sleaze mostly for people looking to be sleazy. Its sort of like dealing with a pawn shop that is run by known criminals and is a well known to deal mostly in stolen goods, even if you only use it to pawn things you legitimately own. and then you get upset when its customer list gets released, and your name is on it, and people judge you by association? Or maybe a neighbor sees you going in... and gossips.

    6. Re:Poor choice of service? by sherr · · Score: 1

      The front page tagline of the site is "Life is short - Have an affair". It is NOT a place for single people, no matter how many people try to spin it otherwise.

      Have you actually ever bothered to look at the site? Front page, dropdown box options: "Attached Female seeking Males" "Attached Male seeking Females" "Single Female seeking Males" (implied "attached Males") "Singe Male seeking Females" (implied "attached Females") She would be an "Attached Female seeking Males", looking for "Single Male seeking (attached) Females" No it's not a site for single-seeking-single, but it is very much a site for single-seeking-attached and vice versa.

    7. Re:Poor choice of service? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      By creating all of this social pressure to harm "cheaters" and push their spouses to leave them you're also screwing around in other people's relationships

      All you have to have to avoid that pressure is integrity. You can not screw around on someone. If you can't secure permission, secure a different relationship. You're not getting any sympathy if you choose to be a piece of shit.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    8. Re:Poor choice of service? by sherr · · Score: 1

      Have you actually ever bothered to look at the site? Front page, dropdown box options: "Attached Female seeking Males" "Attached Male seeking Females" "Single Female seeking Males" (implied "attached Males") "Singe Male seeking Females" (implied "attached Females") She would be an "Attached Female seeking Males", looking for "Single Male seeking (attached) Females" No it's not a site for single-seeking-single, but it is very much a site for single-seeking-attached and vice versa. Just because there are other sites that cater to open marriages doesn't mean this wasn't a perfectly valid choice given her situation.

    9. Re:Poor choice of service? by vux984 · · Score: 1

      but it is very much a site for single-seeking-attached and vice versa.

      So? I didn't say it wasn't for that.

      Just because there are other sites that cater to open marriages doesn't mean this wasn't a perfectly valid choice given her situation.

      Its not the only one, nor is the most apt one. I am still critical of her choice of sites. It's reputation is not for open marriages. It's primary reputation is for people looking to cheat, or to hook up with people who are cheating. Of all the sites she could have frequented she picked an especially sleazy one.

    10. Re:Poor choice of service? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just because that's their main tagline doesn't mean that is their only market. Much the same way that Burger King primarily sells burgers but also sells other non-burger items, the website is clearly marketed towards married people but doesn't have to be used solely by the married. Two single people could meet through the site.

      The key reason that this was actually the correct site for the woman to use is that she thought it would be discreet whereas something like Okcupid is more accessible to the general public. This is something she actually explains in the post (which I can only assume you didn't read); she and her SO were both on board with the idea but didn't want it to become public knowlegde for fear of judgment. She claims to have only consorted with people in a similar situation to hers (with both partners aware and accepting of the open relationship).

      The general atmosphere of the site is to keep things secret; as made clear in her post, this was a primary concern for fear that judgmental friends or even her employer would not be symphatic.

    11. Re:Poor choice of service? by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      So to use your own words:

      > "Single Female seeking Males" (implied "attached Males")

      > "Attached Female seeking Males"

      Implied ATTACHED MALES. So she's basically engaging in potential homewrecking. MAYBE if there was a dialog option for seeking Single males you might have a point.

      This is splitting hairs though. There are LOTS of online dating sites out there, and only one specifically marketing itself to cheaters. Claiming she went there to find single men is like claiming you read Playboy for the articles. It MAY be true, but incredibly unlikely.

    12. Re:Poor choice of service? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait a second, all you have to do to avoid the societal pressure is give in to said pressure and confirm your behavior to that standard? Circular argument is circular...

    13. Re:Poor choice of service? by Tom · · Score: 1

      At the end of the day these people signed up for a site whose primary market is marital infidelity. I feel a bit sorry for the woman referenced above, but I also have to wonder if the partners of the people she's "engaged with" on AM were as accepting as her husband was. I kind of doubt it.

      But that is not the issue at all.

      In a relationship, whatever is acceptable to both partners should be fine. But society has its own strange rules, even about things that are not its business, like what you do in your bedroom.

      Betraying your partner is one thing. But doing as this woman did and not wanting to be judged by society for it simply because people wouldn't understand is an absolutely legitimate interest. It's none of their business in the first place.

      There are a lot of other sites out there that don't specifically target cheating that she could have used instead. By choosing to have her hookups through that site she was pretty much guaranteeing that she was actively screwing around with someone else's relationship.

      Why we always assume other people are stupid? She probably checked her choices and decided on AM for good reasons. Other dating sites? Too many people interested in romantic relationships for what she wanted. Sex dating sites? Too many creeps.

      And other people's relationships - yes, probably. But you know what? It's a healthy attitude to assume that other people you interact with are adults and their business is their business and not yours.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    14. Re:Poor choice of service? by strikethree · · Score: 1

      There are a lot of other sites out there that don't specifically target cheating that she could have used instead.

      Not if she wanted to be honest. The other sites are for singles looking for dates and potentially marriage. She was already married so she had to go to the only site that fit her circumstances. It is not that SHE was looking for a married man, it was that she looking for a man looking for a MARRIED woman.

      Oddly, the CAPTCHA is slotting. How appropriate. ;)

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    15. Re:Poor choice of service? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Wait a second, all you have to do to avoid the societal pressure is give in to said pressure and confirm your behavior to that standard?

      Wrong. All you have to do is have integrity, and not make agreements you don't plan to break. If you're complaining that society wants you to have integrity, fuck you anyway.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    16. Re:Poor choice of service? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you read TFA, the user "C" says that she used the site with the consent of her husband, and only engaged with other users who had open marriages or marriages where there were also medical issues. She sought other married partners because she only wanted sex (she had no intention of ever leaving her husband), and did not want to risk having a single person develop feelings. She chose AM over other services (like okCupid) because she naively believed that those other services are too public and AM is more discreet and secure (oh the irony!).

  14. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Agreed.

    People say there's no privacy on the web and, in my opinion, that's largely because there's no accountability for the private data hoarders who keep the data for future use (ex. marketing and more) and to increase their company valuation.

    If we consider that getting hacked is a real possibility even when security is tight, and in the case of A.M. it looks like there was no security to speak of, then the solution is to legislate data retention to include civil and criminal remedies. For this company, it's a slam dunk case. They kept data despite charging people to delete it.

  15. Reward by doconnor · · Score: 1

    It would be hard to collect the reward when they're bankrupt.

  16. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I agree. If any, the guilty here is AMs poor security and data management.
    And its nothing new, people cheat, we are good at it . I think it's a little over the top to "make a new life because... Oh the shame".

  17. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Rest assured that the new legislation will make hacking a crime worthy of being hung, drawn and quartered while at the same time not changing anything about how corporations have to secure data, or even (god forbid!) be punished for having sloppy security.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  18. Put their CEO in prison by Spy+Handler · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People paid him to have their personal info deleted. He took their money but did not delete anything. Put him in prison for fraud.

    1. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is it known for a fact that they didn't delete information?

    2. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      He might be rich enough to qualify as a first-class citizen, and hence avoid punishment for crimes that only impact the poor. Also, the people outed might want to avoid calling even more attention to their situation, and hence won't want to press charges. The only real hope here would be a class action lawsuit, which would result in him sharing his wealth with a lawyer.

    3. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It is. You can see in the CC transaction logs who paid for the "full removal" service, then find the rest of their info clear as day in the other dumps. Anyone who pursues charges will have a slam dunk on their hands.

    4. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are we sure the CEO made that call rather than someone far lower down the line that was simply too lazy to erase what they should have?

    5. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One gets paid the big bucks in order to take full accountability. He's responsible for ensuring that the CIO does his job. The CIO needs to make sure that the IT director does his. The IT directors needs to make sure that the Manager does hers. The manager needs to ensure that the DBA does his. On top of that you have a bunch of audit, change management, project management and infosec crap happening (formally or informally). The CFO is responsible to.

      But at the end of the day, the CEO is accountable. If he things that the CIO/CFO suck then he needs to get rid of them and put people in place that know what they're doing.

      He may have not been directly responsible for the day-to-day stuff, but he sure as hell is accountable.

        I love it when some senior exec blames some lower-level employee for a screw-up. He is as responsible or even more so than the person that screwed up.

      You never hear any of that excuse crap from folks who have spent time in the military in commanding positions.

    6. Re:Put their CEO in prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, they would TRY. Just like LifeLock will not stop identity theft, they were do certain things to TRY to prevent it.

    7. Re:Put their CEO in prison by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

      The hackers have posted sufficient data to back up the claim. They've also posted emails from the CEO refusing to pay for security requested by their IT staff.

  19. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apparently there's some indication that AM was an inside job (too lazy to dig out, link to the articles; just google it). If so, any such legislation would likely not be applicable in this case.

  20. Over 100 AS users have committed suicide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    But that figure is unconfirmed.

    "Can you give any details about those suicides? What countries they occurred in?"

    Nope.

    "OK. That sounds entirely speculative, but we'll report it in such a way as it might probably be definitely true."

    The hackers won't get away with this!

  21. Re:Saudi Arabia by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Funny. I have the same feelings for the religious.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  22. Re:Saudi Arabia by Camel+Pilot · · Score: 2

    And we shall be more compassionate towards jerk bigots until there is a cure for their sickness.

  23. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    SNAFU...

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  24. it seems a bit premature. by nimbius · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Toronto police are reporting that 2 unconfirmed suicides have been linked to the data breach.

    so, basically corollary conjecture pertaining to sets of potential outcomes of a data breech.

    Dont get me wrong, as a homosexual I'm not at all condoning the death of a person for their sexuality. I think puritanical elation is at best inappropriate as a response to the incident. But frankly Ashley Madisons catchphrase was 'lifes short, have an affair.' As a saudi national, someone is unfortunately about to find out exactly how short that life can really be. Standard issue infidelity aside there are numerous gay dating sites you could have chosen. numerous potential outlets for gay, straight, questioning, bisexual, whatever your heart desires. But selecting Ashley Madison shows a puerile approach to interpersonal relationship as well as sexual orientation in general. Homosexuality is not the same as a casual extramarital affair.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:it seems a bit premature. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, if the data breach was at Grindr - and the same person from Saudi Arabia would be affected, would that make a difference to you? (

    2. Re:it seems a bit premature. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The same company did have a gay dating site. I am assuming he was registered on that site.

    3. Re:it seems a bit premature. by m00sh · · Score: 1

      Toronto police are reporting that 2 unconfirmed suicides have been linked to the data breach.

      so, basically corollary conjecture pertaining to sets of potential outcomes of a data breech. Dont get me wrong, as a homosexual I'm not at all condoning the death of a person for their sexuality. I think puritanical elation is at best inappropriate as a response to the incident. But frankly Ashley Madisons catchphrase was 'lifes short, have an affair.' As a saudi national, someone is unfortunately about to find out exactly how short that life can really be. Standard issue infidelity aside there are numerous gay dating sites you could have chosen. numerous potential outlets for gay, straight, questioning, bisexual, whatever your heart desires. But selecting Ashley Madison shows a puerile approach to interpersonal relationship as well as sexual orientation in general. Homosexuality is not the same as a casual extramarital affair.

      When I first came across the ad of the website (when they were in their blanket advertising phase), the slogan stuck me as clever and humorous. It never stuck me as foul or evil.

      However, their main logo has a woman with a finger on her lips, evoking discretion. Perhaps people signed up with this website because it feels so hush hush and secretive, exactly what a Saudi gay man would want.

      But, I don't know how they got millions of people to sign up for the website. It shows up next to foot-long penis ads so ...

    4. Re:it seems a bit premature. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is his exact point.

    5. Re:it seems a bit premature. by neminem · · Score: 1

      "It shows up next to foot-long penis ads so ..."
      Dang, that is one massive, monitor-spanning advertisement. Whoever is responsible for that ad monstrosity not only presumably has a massive dick, but also *is* one. [/intentional misparsing]

    6. Re:it seems a bit premature. by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

      So you're saying his activities were puerile, plus he chose the wrong website to go to, and so he deserves death?

      --
      Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
    7. Re:it seems a bit premature. by KapUSMC · · Score: 1

      Pure speculation, but I would assume part of this would lend to having traffic go to a webpage where the predominately heterosexual traffic in a country with such archaic punishment for homosexuality would be to NOT having traffic destined for grindr or whatever other dating site. The nature of the confidentiality AM purported to have would be desirable. Again, speculation... But seems logical.

    8. Re:it seems a bit premature. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a pop-under at Pornhub. That's how.

    9. Re:it seems a bit premature. by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Dont get me wrong, as a homosexual I'm not at all condoning the death of a person for their sexuality.

      I'm trying to work out why a gay person would be on a site for married people? Surely the customers are all hetero, or did AM cater for people in the closet?

  25. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by swb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As much as I'd like to drag all the cheap-ass executives who shortchange IT security and reliability with an eye on promotion and their own bonuses into the street and have them tarred and feathered, I can only imagine that such a regulation would have loopholes a mile wide.

    What makes a system insecure? The system integration/networking? The software, especially third party software with its disclaimers about "no liability for implied merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose"?

    Who judges a system as secure/insecure? If I get a third party to sign off on it, are the execs then immune? How long does a system retain its status as officially secure? Can you patch it with new patches, which theoretically could introduce their own flaws?

    How about unknown zero-days? You could judge a system as secure and then a new zero-day appears in some critical security juncture that renders it insecure. Worse yet, what about unknown exploits used for which there are no patches?

    To me it smells like Sarbanes-Oxley all over again.

  26. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    And as long as we have people in power who don't know the first thing about computers and think that laws can solve problems this won't change.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  27. Scott McNealy said it best... by tekrat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    When he was CEO of SUN, Scott was once quoted as saying "You already have no privacy. Get over it."

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:Scott McNealy said it best... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, and since Scott is so clever, is the reason SUNW stock is at an all time high....wait...is that right?...oh yea, SUNW stock no longer exist, ORCL bought them when they dropped from the 80+ range to 2 $/share.

    2. Re:Scott McNealy said it best... by colordev · · Score: 1
      Technically you're 100% right, but Scott McNealy said that quote was incorrect. After which Scott McNealy quoted Scott McNealy incorrectly.

      Q: A couple of years ago you made some comments about privacy -- and the lack thereof -- that were widely printed. That was amazingly pre-Patriot Act and pre-9/11. Do you stick by that notion? Should we not be worried about having lost all our privacy?

      A: I never said that, did I?

      Q: You said, "You already have no privacy."

      A: I said, "You have no privacy. Get over it."

      While in fact on monday night 25th of january 1999 a group of reporters and analysts recorded Scott McNealy saying "You have zero privacy anyway. Get over it."

    3. Re:Scott McNealy said it best... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. Gotta love Scott McNealy. Remember when he had a big-ass dog come out on stage and piss on a sign with IBM on it?
      Back on-topic thought... you know who else says "you have no privacy. get over it"? James Clapper and crew. The NSA hacks our computers and stores our private information indefinitely. Most people don't give a shit. I used to care. Now I kinda find all of this quite funny. I hope this data dump includes a few in-the-spotlight politicians and others who would undermine our 4th amendment. THAT would be epic.

  28. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And, of course, don't forget carving out huge exemptions for copyright holders aggressively being assholes^Wdilligent ... there will be one of those.

    And one for law enforcement, because hacking is OK if you're law enforcement.

    And to protect the children. You can do anything if you're protecting children.

    And national security, even if it is unrelated to national security. You know, that way the Stingray devices are still OK.

    By the time all of those exemptions get made, it will boil down to "it shall be illegal for any private citizen to exploit the security holes we have ensured are in place", and will be utterly meaningless.

    But, nosirree, we can't risk impacting quarterly profits and executive bonuses by ensuring corporations have legal responsibility to safeguard data. That would be like Communism.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  29. Re:Puritans are scum by sjames · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is not puritanism. This is looking down on people who make commitments they don't keep. There exists a way for a married person to declare that they no longer intend to maintain fidelity, it's called divorce. There is also swinging for couples that mutually choose that. AM is instead dedicated to people who vowed fidelity and unilaterally choose not to honor that vow.

  30. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by terraformer · · Score: 1

    Legislation is useless because no one bothers to prosecute these crimes unless it's easy. Oh, and we don't need legislation because we already have it, which is why I can say with authority it's useless...

    --
    Who are you? The new #2 Who is #1? You are #617565. I am not a number, I am a free man! Muhahaha.
  31. automatic winner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually I thought homosexuals are automatic winners not because of their sexual orientation but because being one automatically removes oneself from the gene pool.

    1. Re:automatic winner by Joey+Vegetables · · Score: 1

      I find it kind of sad when anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, chooses not to procreate, when they could. They miss out on so much. I believe we are hard-wired to live at least in large part for children and for family (and, even more, to live for God, but that's a separate argument). When we give that up, perhaps because we feared the responsibilty or financial commitment or whatever, we also give up so many precious, sweet, beautiful moments, none of which I or most other parents would now trade for all the money in the world.

    2. Re:automatic winner by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

      I find it kind of sad when anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, chooses not to procreate, when they could. They miss out on so much.

      we need to be more like yeast, reproducing exponentially until we run out of food. yeah, that's the ticket

    3. Re:automatic winner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, too many of the fuck teenage girls when they can't find young boys to bugger.

    4. Re:automatic winner by vux984 · · Score: 1

      If we all had 2 kids population would decline. You want to blame someone for exponential population growth that's fine, and its a legitimate problem.

      The current birth rate in the US is low enough that it won't even sustain the population. Its only growing due to immigration.

    5. Re:automatic winner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Global overpopulation is the single greatest threat against humanity and you're sad when people choose not to procreate.

  32. Personal Responsibility? by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Forgive me for being the odd duck out here, but what ever happened to "Personal Responsibility"? I, too, think it's wrong for the hackers to release that information. It sounds like a despicable act of misguided morality to me, but that's irrelevant.

    These people took their own lives, the external stressers don't really matter; they CHOSE to commit suicide. Maybe if signing up and using that site was such an emotional risk for them, they shouldn't have done it?

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
    1. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yea, like depression and other risk factors for suicide don't affect reasoning ability.

    2. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Read the comments on any story about Aaron Swartz.

    3. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've never much cared for the 'personal responsibility' argument being applied as an absolute.

      Law and society has always made allowances for the mental state of individuals; for such reason do we allow violence in self defense, or even the right to avoid self-incrimination - because sometimes otherwise rational choices can be biased by emotional state, and emotional states are not trivially controlled. If they were, the world would be a much different place.

      In this case, I'm not sure how the personal responsibility argument comes into play. People signed up to the site, believing that the agreement they were making was in good faith (as it were, considering the nature of the service). People realize that their information could be leaked, but most likely their only source of expert opinion was likely the site owners themselves. Could they do more to ensure their own safety? Possibly. But where is the limit of reasonable precaution, for the average individual?

    4. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should commit suicide.

    5. Re:Personal Responsibility? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 1

      what ever happened to "Personal Responsibility"?

      Are you seriously suggesting people should be held accountable for their actions? That's crazy talk! Imagine the calamity which would ensue if this were true.

      No more being forced to hand over your money to a private company because the government told you to do it, no more people whining after someone kills themselves because they were arrested for being somewhere they had no right to be and didn't want to answer for their crime, no more people trying to justify not paying someone for their work, the list goes on.

      You might want to reconsider your comment in light of how ridiculous it is. Why have personal responsibility when there's always an excuse or someone else gets to pick up the tab?

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    6. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone involved has made a lot of choices.

      1) Some scumbag set up a blackmail farm disguised as a form of dating service.
      2) Some fools signed up.
      3) Scumbag from #1 demanded money to delete records.
      4) Subset of fools from #2 paid money to have their records deleted.
      5) Scumbag from #1 marked those files as hidden.
      6) Someone with a grudge decided to swipe all files.
      7) Guy with grudge removed his own name from the list and released much of it to try to hurt scumbag #1.
      8) Apparently, two members of #2 decided to kill themselves.

      And that's a simplified list of the choices that lead to this story. A lot of people made a lot of choices, and each should be responsible for their own actions, all of them, across all the stages of this grand display of vice and ignorance.

    7. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      Imagine the calamity which would ensue if this were true.

      No more taking money from people to delete their records, then keeping the records anyway? Oh wait...

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    8. Re:Personal Responsibility? by reve_etrange · · Score: 2

      TL;DR: Why believe in psychology when you can substitute your own made up shit for science?

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    9. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why assume the suiciders are the ones who used the service? Might have family members, spouses etc.

    10. Re:Personal Responsibility? by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

      Forgive me for being the odd duck out here, but what ever happened to "Personal Responsibility"? I, too, think it's wrong for the hackers to release that information. It sounds like a despicable act of misguided morality to me, but that's irrelevant.

      I'm all for catching these hackers and holding each of them personally responsible to the maximum possible. I'm also all for holding the management of this f***ing company personally responsible.

      Strange that some people apply "personal responsibility" only to people who don't have the power to influence the outcome.

    11. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I fail to parse your sentence. Are you implying that psychology is science?

      Psychology is generally more art than science. It's the art of selecting data to come up with the corelation you wanted to exist and then making up an explanation out of your ass for that "corelation", explanation that you wanted to show as true in the first place.

    12. Re:Personal Responsibility? by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

      Strange that some people apply "personal responsibility" only to people who don't have the power to influence the outcome.

      The users of AM did. I exercised my power to influence the outcome. They could too.

      --
      I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
    13. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you saying psychology has managed to disprove the hypothesis of free will?

    14. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      where is the limit of reasonable precaution, for the average individual?

      Marital fidelity.

    15. Re:Personal Responsibility? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someone points a gun at you and tells you to hand over your wallet, and you do - that was your decision, right? The external stressers don't really matter, you CHOSE to give the guy your wallet. Maybe if losing it was such a risk to you, you shouldn't have been carrying it around with you.

    16. Re:Personal Responsibility? by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      How familiar are you with suicidal people? Suicide is not a decision made in isolation, independent of what was going on. Some people have different reactions to things, and in particular depressives are vulnerable to suicide.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  33. It's not puritanical by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 1

    And when The Intercept published a piece condemning the puritanical glee over the data dump...

    It's not puritanical to value honesty. I have plenty of polyamorous friends who have multiple partners, but even in that scenario it is still important to be honest with the people you are intimate with.

    Yes it's bad that a few "innocent" people are being caught up in this, but the site is *for* being dishonest with your partner(s).

  34. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

    Doesn't seem to be a campaign issue that will make a difference. Such are the foibles of majority rule.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  35. Re:Puritans are scum by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Puritans are just a subset of SJW.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  36. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by epiphani · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light.

    I totally agree, data security is a big deal - but I think "gross negligence" probably covers the fact that someone did not put proper security in place. Beyond that, it's an arms race. You can't hold someone responsible for being hacked, unless they've demonstrated that they didn't even try to avoid it. Reasonable preventative measures.

    The same reason you can't claim insurance when you don't have any locks on your house. But if they really want to, that moat and electric fence won't stop someone from breaking into your house.

    --
    .
  37. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by AvitarX · · Score: 0

    Also, if someone lets you know a brick can go through your window, better replace is with bullet proof glass.

    Though I think companies holding massive amounts of data should be held to a higher standard than people protecting their own stuff, I do agree with your general point.

    --
    Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
  38. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Didn't take long before the panicky, nanny-state types came running with the "we have to make a law about this, NOW! No time to think, just write something, DO SOMETHING!!"

    I don't suppose you realize that this is how so many bad laws have made their way onto the books.

  39. Re:Puritans are scum by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1

    100% of the worlds pain and misery come from these people who find glee in forcing their beliefs on others.

    While I can see how you could (very, very, very widely) stretch "forcing their beliefs on others" to encompass rape, thievery, etc., I am wondering how you also include natural disasters, plagues, and famines into that categorization.

    Furthermore, I'm trying to see who in this case is forcing their beliefs on anybody? The hackers didn't, all they did was steal something valuable (private information) and turn it over. No force involved there. Editorialists that have come to the support of the hackers? Not at all, they are just voicing their opinion (even if you seem to disagree with it).

  40. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any casual searching on Slashdot will show that there are plenty of Slashdotters who believe just that. If you leave you front door unlocked, they are perfectly fine with someone wondering in and taking your stuff. In fact many say they would.

  41. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If I leave my door open, and my stuff gets stolen, I am the one who has been punished.

    If some asshole corporation fails at security, and my stuff gets stolen, I am still the one who has been punished.

    See, the stuff being stolen here ... It's not the property of the corporation, and they're not the ones who suffer when it is stolen. They've deemed themselves trustworthy to hold onto your data, and failed to safeguard it.

    Oh, sure, they might get a little bad PR, and the stock might slip a little. But that asshole executive who decided security was too costly? It's not his data being stolen, and it's not him who has to deal with it.

    So he, being an asshole executive, says "wow, we're not really sorry but if we say it will you shut up and go away?"

    This is more like I've got stuff in my safe deposit box, and the bank gets robbed, and the bank say "wow, that's totally not our fault".

    Your analogy sucks.

    Corporations failing to protect the private and sensitive information they have been entrusted with are not the fucking victims, and they don't get to play the victim card.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  42. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Was that a dig at Hillary?

  43. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yeah I could row in behind this. We need governments in particular but also corporations to enshrine peoples' right to privacy in hard legislation. The net is turning into a sick dystopian version of its original golden promise.

  44. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    What makes a system insecure?

    the fact that it's been broken into

    Who judges a system as secure/insecure?

    maybe it could be the people whose credit card info has been stolen

    How about unknown zero-days?

    Why not make it really simple? If your system gets broken into, it's your fault. This same logic is very successful in many other such situations. The threat of punishment is enough all by itself to keep bad actors in line. You don't need to construct more government apparatus to oversee them.

  45. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you are told that your door is unlocked, but you still don't lock it, and some robber comes and steals someone else's stuff you held for him, you would likely lose a civil case.

  46. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes because when a truck smashes down your door to break into your house it's your fault for not making your house stronger

  47. When will people learn by Sir_Eptishous · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I have put some things online that could be embarrassing. Nothing really earthshattering, nothing I could lose a job over. Back when the "anonymous" nature of the web first started, I was always wary. Maybe not as smart as I should have been, but smart enough. Accounts, posts, passwords, etc. These things are all ephemeral and all can be compromised. I always understood that.

    The real question here is why people continue to think of the internet, "the web", and the myriad of online services as secure. I'm not apologizing for what those who have compromised these accounts have done, but really, at this point everyone should know nothing that is done online is secure. There have been too many compromises.

    Who has inspired this trust?

    Why do millions continue to put faith in something that proves over and over again to be untrustworthy?

    That is the real question.

    --
    We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
    1. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still don't understand how this Ashley Madison company has so many real, primary email accounts and credit card info. Hasn't anyone ever heard of free email services and prepaid credit cards, or GV numbers/burner cell phones? If you don't want to get caught cheating, never give real/primary contact information. I'm not blaming the victim, but hell, at least try and act like you don't want to get caught!

    2. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The concept that the data you give to a company to be kept secret and secure not actually being kept secret and secure is still a pretty new and unknown concept to the great unwashed. Sure, we the sceptics of /. know this, but most people don't really. That this data was sitting ripe to be plundered was probably quite unimaginable for most of the people who had accounts there.

    3. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "No one in this world, so far as I know—and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me—has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby."

      H.L. Mencken

    4. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Banks.

      They let people believe they have security when they really don't. I'm certain they get hacked regularly, but manage to cover it up with loads of cash. When identity theft occurs, they don't fix the system, they simply pay the person for the damages and move on, keeping it quiet.

      Banks are powerful like this, because people believe that if their money is safe, then other less "important" things on the internet are also safe.

    5. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have put some things online that could be embarrassing. Nothing really earthshattering, nothing I could lose a job over. Back when the "anonymous" nature of the web first started, I was always wary. Maybe not as smart as I should have been, but smart enough. Accounts, posts, passwords, etc. These things are all ephemeral and all can be compromised. I always understood that.

      The real question here is why people continue to think of the internet, "the web", and the myriad of online services as secure. I'm not apologizing for what those who have compromised these accounts have done, but really, at this point everyone should know nothing that is done online is secure. There have been too many compromises.

      Who has inspired this trust?

      Why do millions continue to put faith in something that proves over and over again to be untrustworthy?

      That is the real question.

      There's no other option, unless you know of an alternative to the Internet with a better security model, where teenagers in China can't virtually toilet paper a business in the US because freedom.

      I'm all for a new Internet.. get rid of this no borders crap and firewall the hell out of it with positive identification end-to-end, like the real world. Move all our infrastructure and financial institutions over to THAT, and keep blogs and chatrooms on the old one.

      VPN the new one over the old one to bootstrap it, fuck if I care if it's fast or not at this point.

    6. Re:When will people learn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you considered that the fact of people using insecure online services is evidence that your assumption of what people "should know" is invalid? Where do you think the general population is hearing about this stuff?

    7. Re:When will people learn by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      I've met a few women that had abusive husbands/boyfriends that would go back to them over and over again after being beaten and breaking up.

      Why on earth would you take someone back after they get out of prison for your attempted murder leaving you with a big scar on your throat and a glass eye.

    8. Re:When will people learn by daedalus2097 · · Score: 1

      Indeed, I know someone close to me who tends to leave her email logged in permanently on her computer. It's a computer I've had to fix in the past, and opening the email provider's main page brings you straight to her inbox. In there, she had emails from her registration on various sex sites (not on AM, mind you), but all there in plain view along with various personal mails arranging meetups and so on. She is married, and while I don't know whether her husband is in on this or not, I'm pretty sure she'd be devastated if that information ended up out in the open.

      Most average users don't consider that they need to create a layer of anonymity for things like this. They presume things just work as expected and that there isn't any other possibility. Perhaps this being all over the mainstream news will start to awaken people to the risks and encourage an improvement in the control of their own personal data.

    9. Re:When will people learn by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Why do millions continue to put faith in something that proves over and over again to be untrustworthy? That is the real question.

      This!
      It's worth noting that Win10 is effectively spyware that tracks everything you do, same goes for Google and Facebook. Anyone who engages is questionable behaviour on such platforms should have no expectation of privacy.

  48. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    If you are told that your door is unlocked, but you still don't lock it, and some robber comes and steals your stuff, the homeowner should be thrown in jail.

    what's the point? losing your stuff should be motivation to lock your doors

  49. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wrong analogy dillweed. To use your homeowner analogy, the company that supplied the lock on the homeowner's door was told that there was a master key out there in criminal hands for their locks and they did nothing about it. So despite homeowners locking their door criminals were still able to to break and enter. The homeowner is the victim, the criminal is the criminal and the lock company is responsible for the homeowner's loss.

  50. Slashley Madison advertising here now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Current Ad Campaign:

    "Is he cheating on you?"
    Enter his email address. Find Pics and Profiles from over 70+ social networks

  51. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 2

    Let's do that for homeowners too. If you are told that your door is unlocked, but you still don't lock it, and some robber comes and steals your stuff, the homeowner should be thrown in jail.

    Not really the same. But I would argue the insurance company might have a leg to stand on in a fraud case if they had some extra data to prove you enticed the burglar to enter.

    A better scenario, is if you rent out rooms in your apartment complex, and you are told that the door locks you installed on the rooms are defective and allow anyone with a toothpick and dreams of glory to enter, and you choose not to fix it, and then people are robbed/raped/murdered in their sleep you probably share some of the blame. You may not have at all intended for those things to happen, but you made it possible and failed to fix your property which was designed for the purpose of keeping unwanted people out, and your tenants weren't free to replace those locks on their own.

  52. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How stupid do you have to be to misunderstand the parent post so badly? Adequate data security stops all but the most skilled hackers. Laws are already in place to force corporations to act better than they otherwise would in other areas and there is a good case to be made that that should be the case with data security as well. When you're responsible for other people's personal details, you have to act responsibly and have proper data security. Just like airlines must follow safety regulations and are penalized if they don't, corporate executives should be held responsible if data security is neglected. The main question is how to formulate it into a law and the parent proposed a solution which I don't fully agree with but I do agree with the idea. We've seen it happen over and over and over again - corporations need to be held in a short leash through laws because their ultimate incentive is always shareholder wealth. A bad reputation is nothing that a good PR campaign won't fix cheaper than preventing the problem in the first place.

  53. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    100% of the worlds pain and misery come from these people who find glee in forcing their beliefs on others.

    Never had a broken heart? Probably never been loved either. Most "puritanical" views really aren't puritanical, they're common sense. If you love someone, you don't hurt them by cheating behind their back. AM is for cowards. Pure and simple.

  54. Re: $380K by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "They should have spent that money on their security in the first place."

    You are a fool. Anyone can be hacked. You think you are special, and all your users are security geniuses? The only thing stopping companies from being hacked is lack of effort from the hackers. Any company, any networked computer, can be hacked.

  55. making good on the their motto by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Life is short, have an affair." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

  56. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by DarkOx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    not changing anything about how corporations have to secure data, or even (god forbid!) be punished for having sloppy security.

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars? If you violate any of these rules on your structure fine or punish you? Should we lighten up the sentences for "breaking and entering" or even burglary?

    Personally I think with certain exceptions like public Utilities etc that already enjoy a special relationship with government and a captive market, that companies ought to be allowed to have whatever security posture they like. They should simply have to be honest about it with consumers. Government ought to do one of the few things its Constitutionally supposed to do and set some standards of measure.

    Develop some NIST definitions for overall information security postures. If companies then want to claim they have a 'Double plus good can't hack me bro' rating there is a way to prove that. Then if one of these breaches happens and its done in a way that should not have been possible while in compliance like 'plain text data on laptop found on bus' we would all be able to go after them for contract fraud or false advertising etc.

    Additionally we should have some disclosure laws, just like food labels there need to be some standardized categories and forms companies that maintain any information that is personally identifiable other than firstname, lastname, current address, billing address, and primary phone number, should be required to disclose that on a standardized and both electronically readable and human readable format. Maybe a nice TML or INI like file.

    --
    Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
  57. Re:Puritans are scum by gstoddart · · Score: 1

    Furthermore, I'm trying to see who in this case is forcing their beliefs on anybody? The hackers didn't, all they did was steal something valuable (private information) and turn it over.

    So then I assume you missed the part where the hackers basically said "we're in 'yer interrubes, we've got 'yer stuff .. close down 'yer immoralz or we're gonna release teh customer info".

    This was either someone trying to force their beliefs on someone, or a disgruntled employee who decided to be an asshole and punish the site users instead of the company.

    But don't believe for a minute all these guys did was steal some information and release it without their own agenda here. Because that's complete crap.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  58. As a canadian ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The most depressing piece about this article is the exchange rate. Makes it expensive to vacation and buy stuff down in the US.

  59. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I agree. If any, the guilty here is AMs poor security and data management. And its nothing new, people cheat, we are good at it . I think it's a little over the top to "make a new life because... Oh the shame".

    "If anyone"? That's overboard. I agree that to a degree, AM is complicit due to their poor security and negligence with their clients data, yes, but still the truly guilty party here, quite simply, is the one who actually committed the crime and stole data they were not entitled to. I'm a fool if I leave my house or car unlocked at night; nevertheless, if someone breaks in and steals stuff, they have committed a crime, not me; I was naive, negligent, careless, but I didn't steal anything. Granted, I'd feel more culpable if I had several friends' gear in my house or car that got stolen, as that's less excuse to be so careless, and some responsibility must be shouldered in that case, but still, I am not directly responsible for the behavior of a thief, he is. The thief must still be found and held accountable. That is not debatable.

  60. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    Why isn't the criminal responsible for the homeowner's loss?

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  61. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by BitZtream · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Considering that Ashley Madison as a whole is illegal in most jurisdictions I would be really surprised if those laws had no effect.

    In NC, USA, the Ashley Madison website is in direct violation of several marriage statutes, namly around willful alienation of affection, which is punishable with jail time.

    Affairs are probably illegal in most states in the U.S. If not all. Facilitating criminal conduct intentionally IS a crime in every state in the U.S.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  62. Re:Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by LichtSpektren · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Look, if you cheat on your wife, that's NOT OUR BUSINESS.

    You don't get the right to vilify and laugh and insult someone because they betrayed someone else.

    Why do you think everyone has a right to cheat on their spouses, but nobody has the right to the free speech of criticizing that behavior?

    Yes, blame the victim because they violated our society's moral code, rather than an actual law.

    Worst of all, I have never seen a case where someone cheated on a virtuous spouse. Every single case of cheating I have ever heard of or seen among my friends was one shallow shmuck marrying a clear and obvious player and then getting upset that the player played.

    My sister married her law professor - after he divorced his 2nd wife (yes, she slept with him before he was divorced). Surprise surprise, he cheated on her also. What happened to her is pretty much exactly like what happens most of the time.

    Why do others not to get to blame the victim, but you do when you think they deserved it?

  63. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You really don't want that. Want to know what pissed off lawmakers will do? They, almost certainly, won't do anything to help actual security. Here is what they would pass:

    1: Mandatory DRM stacks for all devices connecting to the Internet, so files or messages that match a certain signature get auto-redacted and deleted.

    2: Mandatory key escrow, perhaps under the guise of secure authentication.

    3: Mandatory registration before Internet access is given... think captive portals.

    4: More DRM where you have to prove you have the right to play/read music/movies/books, and if a MP3 file isn't "authorized", it gets auto-deleted and the authorities notified.

    5: Real time tattling, similar to what the pirate sites mentioned feel about Windows 10. If the tattling stops, then that is considered a criminal offense ("tampering with proper divulging of telemetry data".

    6: More IP laws, similar to the one in the TPP making dressing up as Stuporman a felony.

    Will any of this stop real hackers? Nope. Will it make the private prison corporations happy, as well as the *AAs? Ya bet.

  64. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because he likely is unable to actually compensate for the loss. Most criminals breaking and entering houses are poor. That's why they are B&Eing houses.

  65. Re:Puritans are scum by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1

    Furthermore, I'm trying to see who in this case is forcing their beliefs on anybody? The hackers didn't, all they did was steal something valuable (private information) and turn it over.

    So then I assume you missed the part where the hackers basically said "we're in 'yer interrubes, we've got 'yer stuff .. close down 'yer immoralz or we're gonna release teh customer info".

    This was either someone trying to force their beliefs on someone, or a disgruntled employee who decided to be an asshole and punish the site users instead of the company.

    But don't believe for a minute all these guys did was steal some information and release it without their own agenda here. Because that's complete crap.

    I'm sorry, but how is that forcing anybody to do anything? Who here had a gun pointed to their head?

  66. Re:Saudi Arabia by OhPlz · · Score: 1

    Not really funny at all.

  67. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So replace the home with a Bank then.

    Does it make any sense at all to put the owner of a bank in prison because their bank got robbed, and the robbers managed to blast open the vault and made off with the contents of a bunch of safe deposit boxes?

  68. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The goal wouldn't be to stop every attack. The goal would be to require a minimal standard of security that would stop or hinder all but the most determined. If that standard isn't met (as POTUS, Senate, or the NSA want with backdoors -- likely the reason such a law wouldn't go forward) the company is held liable with more than a slap on the wrist and free credit monitoring.

    I also doubt a law would ever become reality, but every article that has an organization complaining about how difficult it is to deal with fully encrypted phones, drives up the sale of those phones. If a company that deals with security tapped into that market, the end result would be the same.

  69. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

    Let's do that for homeowners too. If you are told that your door is unlocked, but you still don't lock it, and some robber comes and steals your stuff, the homeowner should be thrown in jail. And the burglar should be given a medal for exposing the lack of security in the house.

    The thing that's stupid about your analogy is that houses usually only hold the homeowner's stuff. The real analogy should be about the owner of a bank failing to properly secure it.

    --

    "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

  70. Re: $380K by Travelsonic · · Score: 1

    If you're honestly conflating the statement, which I interpreted as "security was inadequate, they should have upgraded it before the issue got worse" with some idea that they can't be hacked because they were throwing money at it, without proof that is actually what is being implied, congratulations, you're an idiot.

    --
    If you believe in privacy, and believe you have "nothing to hide" at the same time, you're a goddammed idiot
  71. Re:Puritans are scum by rhazz · · Score: 0

    No, it's puritanism. Your response offering only black and white alternatives just reinforces that argument.

  72. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If that's the case, then it just begs the question as to why one person had so much access to data. Apart from top level executives, there's just no reason for one person to have so much access to data. Especially to those "deleted" records. They could easily have segmented them by week so that at no point would one person have more than a week's worth of records available to them.

    Also, there's the question of getting the data out. The machines shouldn't have been connected to the internet and there should have been no way that a non-IT employee could stick a USB or other disk in there to pull data out.

    It's virtually impossible to completely prevent leaks, but the scale of this points to neglegence. After Snowden, it's not even a theoretical problem, it's a problem that any halfway competent CTO ought to know about and deal with.

  73. Sauid Arabia and Dice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    British, Israeli and American pilots are currently flying under Saudi colours, and participating in day and night bombing raids against the entire civilian infrastructure of non-Islamic State controlled areas of Yemen. As a direct result, Islamic State is gradually taking over Yemen, just as it is doing in Syria and Libya and Iraq.

    Yet Dice LIONISES Israel and Saudi Arabia whenever possible, and stoops to the most depraved tactics to suggest life if wonderful under the rule of the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia is a rock solid ally of Obama, and Obama never stops singing its praises. Yet it is OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT POLICY in Saudi Arabia that all homosexuals are subject to unthinkable TORTURE (years in prison with a brutal flogging EVERY WEEK), and that all females in Saudi have the status of SLAVES and CHILDREN.

    Islamic State is the irregular terrorist FRONT of the Saudi rulers. Its weapons and training come from Israel, Britain, France and the USA. The finance comes from the Sunni/Wahhabi Arab States. Wherever IS takes control, judges trained by the Saudi government are installed.

    To be a Saudi citizen and yet live a PROVABLE life that contradicts Wahhabi teachings is a road to ruin UNLESS a member of one of the ruling clans. ALL your SJWs are allies of politicians who in turn defend Saudi Arabia in every possible way. THINK ON THAT FACT.

    1. Re:Sauid Arabia and Dice by arkane1234 · · Score: 1

      So those are you feelings about Ashley Madison?
      Intriguing.

      --
      -- This space for lease, low setup fee, inquire within!
  74. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PitaBred · · Score: 1, Informative

    But this isn't a bank vault. This was someone hiding the cash in a box under the bushes and claiming it was safe.

  75. stolen cc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My credit card number was stolen a few months ago and was used at Ashley Madison.
    I looked through the data dump and found my name and partial home address in the credit card transactions.
    I now have the name and email address of the guy that used my card.
    He also used a few other stolen cards from other people at Ashley Madison.
    Keep this in mind if you find someone you know in the data dump. They could be a cc fraud victim like me.

    1. Re:stolen cc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure buddy. I'm sure you readily reported this to VISA/Mastercard/Blockbuster?

      Everybody on the list is guilty until proven innocent. In the eyes of the judgmental mob.

    2. Re:stolen cc by Nabeel_co · · Score: 1

      I assume you're joking, but that's kinda how the world has become unfortunately.

  76. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, but 'Puritans' is easier to defend by the dishonest. aka Strawman.

  77. Re:Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Worst of all, I have never seen a case where someone cheated on a virtuous spouse. Every single case of cheating I have ever heard of or seen among my friends was one shallow shmuck marrying a clear and obvious player and then getting upset that the player played.

    Yeah, It's the cheaters who are the victims here, not their spouses who so richly deserved being cheated on.

    Jeezus.

  78. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Insightful

    if the data hackers grabbed ak 47s and stormed the colocation facility and ripped out hard drives, then your analogy works. the company is innocent and the hackers deserve full condemnation

    but obviously that's not an analogy to what we happened with ashley madison or other infamous corporate hacks

    more like the bank president installed a keypad on the bank vault by a well known manufacturer whose name is written on the keypad and is known to have default passwords on their products. he never changed the default password. or he wrote the password on a post it note above the keypad

    the hackers simply punched in the obvious password, walked in and walked out. the hackers aren't innocent, no one is suggesting that. but obviously the bank president is hardly innocent either. his negligence is disgusting

    now you have a valid analogy to what we are talking about here, and absolutely the bank president needs to be punished

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  79. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by dissy · · Score: 1

    This should create the head of steam required to get some legislation passed to make companies and specific executives SUFFER if they screw up their data security.

    Why don't we just instead make cheating on your marriage partner punishable by death.
    Clearly that will prevent any data leaks like this one from occurring in the future *sarcasm*

  80. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's why it's usually a matter of due diligence. Keep the systems patched, maintain an airgap between sensitive systems and the internet and so forth and there's unlikely to be anything to prosecute.

    Nobody is going to be prosecuted for a 0 day vulnerability, but they are going to be prosecuted for failing to keep the systems properly secured. We don't need perfect security, we just need security that's good enough that it's too expensive to bother breaking into.

  81. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My question: Where would laws be aimed at?

    I fear that we would get laws like the CFAA aimed at stringing up intruders in the US, but because most attempts are coming from overseas where the local governments either ignore or actively encourage security breaches, it would not help anything. However, with the cosplan ban that the TPP [2] gives, we likely will see effort along these lines just as scare tactics and security theater.

    If we get laws at businesses, it may not help either. Sarbanes Oxley and HIPAA were to address security, and the last time I've heard of someone going to jail under those was someone who caught too many fish and was prosecuted under SOX because he tossed his stash of dead grouper.

    If a law stipulates "reasonable measures", a lot of companies would do nothing at all, throw their hands up and say that the bad guys can get through anything, and point to Target and Sony as being heavyweights, but yet nailed [1].

    If a law stipulates exact OS methods taken, the OS controls in Windows NT are significantly different from the ones available in Windows Server 2016.

    [1]: Even though basic network segmentation would have stopped Target's attack, and locking/warning IT about brute force AD password guesses would have helped mitigate Sony... and an IDS/IPS would have stopped both.

    [2]: Here in the US, treaties come before laws. Even Marbury vs. Madison doesn't allow judicial reviews on treaties.

  82. Re:Puritans are scum by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1

    I guess puritanism is a pretty good thing, if it's so all-encompassing that it can include frowning upon adultery, as opposed to the extreme social rigidity of the Puritans of colonial America.

  83. Re:Puritans are scum by trout007 · · Score: 1

    Think of all the medical, legal, insurance, etc costs could be saved if people lived more puritanical lives? The reason people are a bit happy with this is that for decades they have been taxed and punished to keep people from experiencing the repercussions for their behavior.

    --
    I love Jesus, except for his foreign policy.
  84. Re:Puritans are scum by barc0001 · · Score: 1

    Oh the irony! You are also only offering black and white categorization of the issue.

    Also, I wasn't aware that looking scornfully at someone engaging in marital infidelity was "puritanism". I thought that was common sense. But hey,enjoy your open relationship, even if you didn't agree to it. Wouldn't want to be a Puritan now would you?

  85. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If I leave my door open, and my stuff gets stolen, I am the one who has been punished.

    Well, you got burglarized, but that doesn't automatically mean the burglars get away with it. Insurance will still pay, the police will still make arrests, and if you're lucky, you might even recover your stolen items. So, you're not really being punished.

  86. Trust is basic to civilisation by Bruce66423 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your claim that it is 'puritan' to challenge promise breakers is pure labelling to avoid the issue. Whilst politicians are accepted to lie, there's no reason for the rest of the community to descend to such a level. If a couple makes promises to each other in marriage, it is reasonable to expect them to live by those promises. It is reasonable for society - attempting to encourage couples to stay together so that children get to benefit from a stable background in which to grow up - to challenge behaviour that damages children, and therefore society.

    1. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      It is reasonable for society - attempting to encourage couples to stay together so that children get to benefit from a stable background in which to grow up - to challenge behaviour that damages children, and therefore society.

      I'm quite sure any particular member of a lynch mob thinks it's "reasonable" for them to be there.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    2. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a pretty puritan position to suggest that the only reason a couple would form is to have children.

    3. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it isn't. We're at an all time population high. At no point in time has it ever been less important to force procreation. The foundation of your argument crumbles.

    4. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by Tom · · Score: 1

      Judging from divorce rates, movies and other stories and general impression, I would say that at least half of all marriages already seem to be a lie held together by financial needs and the interest of providing the children a home.

      Infidelity is just one of the many lies.

      I understand your logic. I don't understand why we as society single out infidelity so much over all the other problems that a marriage can have.

      No, of course I understand. Because we are still animals and our instincts tell us that all the other shit that's going on is not so important as long as we can be sure our offspring actually has our genes. Because for all the importance we attribute ourselves, we're just the train that our genes ride on their way to the next generation.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    5. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by strikethree · · Score: 1

      Your claim that it is 'puritan' to challenge promise breakers is pure labelling to avoid the issue.

      When a majority create social rules that force certain behaviors, do not be surprised when some people pay lip service to your behavioral demands.

      But go ahead and keep trying (out of some puritanical need) to force promises out of people. Let me know how that works out for you.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    6. Re:Trust is basic to civilisation by rhazz · · Score: 1

      Hmm, I had posted a reply yesterday but it didn't seem to go through.

      I am not condoning people having affairs, nor am I arguing it is somehow beneficial to society for people to do so. Seriously, just because I disagree with the poster's stance doesn't mean I take the extreme opposite stance. The puritan view I am against is the belief that every profile on AM is someone who deserves to be ostracized because they are having sex or trying to have sex outside their marriage. I very much expect that significant number of users are probably just on there to fantasize about the possibilities, maybe even going so far as to have some explicit online chat. If that's breaking promises then watching porn by yourself shouldn't be far behind (I'll admit I may have a vested interest in considering watching porn as not cheating). Would I be upset if I found my wife having an explicit chat? Maybe. Probably moreso that she didn't tell me about her interest. Would the general population feel that is cheating? I don't know, but I don't expect everyone to have the same values as I do. I do expect my wife not to have sex with others without my consent (not that I would necessarily ever give it), but her having on account on the site doesn't mean she's having sex, it just means we need to talk. Personally I have 3 fake profiles on the site, that I made with my wife, because we were curious about what was on there when we first saw an ad - 3 because every time we went back we forgot the credentials. I did use an old personal email address to do it though, and I have no doubt if anyone I knew actually knew the address many would assume I was out there having affairs and I should probably lose my job and my kids and burn in hell, etc.

      So again, I do agree that it is a "puritanical glee" with which people are condemning all entries in the database. AM's marketing is irrelevant too - just because their ads may encourage specifically going out and having sex, doesn't automatically mean every member, or even most, has done anything other than make an account to see what there is to see.

  87. Re:Puritans are scum by LWATCDR · · Score: 1

    "100% of the worlds pain and misery come from these people who find glee in forcing their beliefs on others."
    No you are wrong and of course an idiot.
    Illness, death, poverty, health problems mental health issues, addiction, and yes marital infidelity all are sources of pain and misery.
    What you said is demonstrably wrong and should be obvious to anyone with any education above third grade or so.
    AKA it is valid as Donald Trump's political statments.

    --
    See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
  88. Does not work that way by s.petry · · Score: 1

    People in power don't need to be knowledgeable about computers to pass decent laws. They need to have a good base to draw knowledge from. They don't have such a good base, but could.

    Nobody in public office can be an expert at everything, and the best of the best admit where they lack knowledge and bring good people on board to advise them. Claiming equilibrium is impossible unless a office holder knows the answer is quite frankly irrational.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  89. Re:Puritans are scum by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

    Wait, are you talking about gay couples trying to buy cakes and flowers from people who object to gay marriage, and forcing them out of business if they stick to their beleifs?

    --
    If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
  90. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by tompaulco · · Score: 1

    Because he likely is unable to actually compensate for the loss. Most criminals breaking and entering houses are poor. That's why they are B&Eing houses.

    Yes, that would be why they always go straight for the refrigerator and the pantry.

    --
    If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  91. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So despite homeowners locking their door criminals were still able to to break and enter. The homeowner is the victim, the criminal is the criminal and the lock company is responsible for the homeowner's loss.

    No, the criminal is responsible for the homeowner's loss. Not even the most strict product liability law would find that the lock company is responsible for a homeowner's loss, since they could easily argue no reasonable person would simply rely upon door locks to prevent burglary attempts.

  92. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by fustakrakich · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you store other peoples' shit in your home for money, damn right you are responsible for its security. Nobody cares if your own stuff gets stolen.

    --
    “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  93. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bad analogy. This is closer to "We should jail the bank CEO if the bank's security is lax enough that a bank robbery succeeds. They should have alarms, armed security, and steel vaults!"

    Think standards for corporate server security, not penalties for end-users whose laptops get hacked.

  94. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

    I'd modify your analogy a bit. Imagine your door lock breaks and you don't fix it for a month. Then someone comes along and steals your stuff. Your insurance isn't going to cover it because you didn't take the necessary precautions to secure your premises.

    But if your lock broke, you fixed it the same day, and then a month later you were robbed the insurance would cover your losses as you took the steps needed.

    In both cases the burglar would still be wrong for stealing your stuff.

  95. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    Well, you got burglarized, but that doesn't automatically mean the burglars get away with it. Insurance will still pay, the police will still make arrests, and if you're lucky, you might even recover your stolen items. So, you're not really being punished.

    Obviously this AC has never been the victim of a serious crime.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  96. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bad analogy. Closer to the truth is having a photocopy of a combination lock taped to the front door along with a note "Do not enter unless you know the combination!"

  97. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Jawnn · · Score: 2

    You are absolutely right. The already extant laws that make the Ashley Madison hack a crime clearly did not stop perpetrators. Unfortunately, for you, GP was talking about laws that would punish those responsible for the security of sensitive personal information when they clearly do not take adequate precautions to protect that data from the lawless hackers. Get it now?
    FWIW, negligence is tough to prove. Criminal negligence, even more so, but I'll wager that what those responsible for security at Ashley Madison failed to do, or more likely, what they were prevented from doing by their superiors, is as clear a case as there has ever been. We all know the story. The security team warned the developers, then the operations guys, who warned the CISO (if they had one) who damn-well better have warned the Board. Somewhere along the way, operations/profit won out over security. It's probably going to ruin Ashley Madison. It is clearly going to ruin thousands of lives of people who had a reasonable expectation of privacy. That is nothing, if not a crime. Why is it not being treated as such? Why is it not treated as such every time it happens?

  98. I'm making thousands off of it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've been working 20h/day since the leak happened, searching the databases on behalf of various divorce attorneys I know and work with on other computer-related business.

    So far I've provided information that devastates their opponents' positions in court. Absolutely devastates them. And, it's all admissible.

  99. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    AshleyMadison is a Canadian website

  100. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They were only having undocumented sex, that's all. As corrupt Catholics and other third world trash flood the country moral standards will continue to decline. Plan accordingly.

  101. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Federal laws already exist that require companies to properly maintain computer files that contain data for, from, or about you.

    Enforce those by financially screwing those who fail.

    Market-based solution should make right-wing weenies happy while keeping the rest of us more safe from incompetents.

  102. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Steve+B · · Score: 3, Informative

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars?

    If you're in business and promising your customers that you're keeping their stuff secure, well, yeah, there should be legal penalties for not meeting some standards of due diligence (admittedly, there's quite a bit of wiggle room as to where those standards should be set).

    --
    /. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
  103. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by sonamchauhan · · Score: 1

    "Why not make it really simple? If your system gets broken into, it's your fault. "

    So your home gets burgled, and its *all* your fault? Not the burglar's? Regardless of the precautions you took?

    Though in this case, it was not an innocent home burgled , but an Alibaba's cave full of stolen goods.

  104. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by meta-monkey · · Score: 1

    It's not the property of the corporation, and they're not the ones who suffer when it is stolen.

    Well, no, the data is the property of the corporation. The data is about you, but it is not your data. They do suffer. You also suffer.

    I agree the status quo is fucked up, but your statement's not really correct there.

    --
    We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
  105. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't "willful alienation of affection" a tort instead of a crime? Adultery is listed as a crime in some states, but I didn't think marriage interference was.

  106. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by HornWumpus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Eating pussy is also illegal in NC. Who cares?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  107. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by RabidReindeer · · Score: 1

    If you leave your door unlocked and some robber comes and steals your stuff, the insurance company is likely to stiff you for failing to take due precautions.

    The robber can be prosecuted for illegal entry/trespass and theft and/or whatever laws they throw around in the locality in question, but that doesn't excuse failure to lock the door in the first place. Burglars can easily circumvent locks, but at least if you locked it, the insurance company would consider that you tried.

  108. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In NC, USA, the Ashley Madison website is in direct violation of several marriage statutes, namly around willful alienation of affection, which is punishable with jail time.

    Alienation of affection and criminal conversion in NC are torts, which involve a suit for damages, not jail time.

  109. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by MikeMo · · Score: 2

    All of this seems to presume that a site CAN be made 100% hacker-proof. I don't think that is likely.

    This position reminds me a lot of the folks that want to sue gun companies when someone commits a murder with a gun. The people who released this data have the blood of the two (so far) victims on their hands - they're at least partly resonsible for their deaths.

  110. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by kamapuaa · · Score: 1

    If you leave your front door open, and somebody comes in and steals all your stuff, it's still stealing. If caught, the thief would still go to jail.

    If there was such a thing as a secure system, maybe it would make sense to prosecute executives. It would be how therapists are legally required to keep their files behind two sets of keys (say, a safe inside a locked house). However, such a model doesn't work in a world where we have zero-day exploits and even high-security targets such as the CIA are getting hacked.

    --
    Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
  111. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by s.petry · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Your own Apples to other people's Orangutans comparison.

    The Government requires you to have vehicle insurance because you impact other people if you wreck on a road. Banks are required to have insurance protecting a specific percentage of deposited wealth. You will go to jail if you kill someone while driving even if it was on accident if you don't have insurance. Banks have had people go to jail when they lied about or have not met obligations required by law. Why should a business be treated differently exactly? No reason, except that we lack enforceable regulation.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  112. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This should create the head of steam required to get some legislation passed to make companies and specific executives SUFFER if they screw up their data security. Ultimately that means if an executive is advised that a system is insecure, fails to act and it gets hacked, the executive needs to personally liable, with a small taste of prison. It happening once is all that is required....

    Unfortunately, this also means that the IT executive (and likely staff) will be hauled off in chains too.

    Doubt you're going to be able to hire even one executive that doesn't want to pass off that legal responsibility, or at least ensure those in charge of the electronic fences are held to the same level of culpability.

    And of course, any IT executive with a brain knows it's impossible to guarantee security, so fat chance of finding many who would willingly agree to go to jail given the landscape we face today. Even offline systems can get hacked.

  113. Re:Puritans are scum by Kohath · · Score: 1

    Marriage is the oldest and most universal human tradition. Puritanism has nothing to do with marital fidelity.

  114. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by bondsbw · · Score: 1

    Perhaps the aim should be at nations that kill, torture, or exile people for these so-called crimes which are non-violent and personal, posing no threat or aggression toward anyone else.

    --
    All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
  115. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by cellocgw · · Score: 4, Interesting

    And that is the root cause of this whole situation. We need to find a way to change the overall mindset (especially in these here Unitee States) towards other people's personal sexual congresses. Not only should it be nobody else's business, but nobody should even **care** what some person they're neither related to nor dating is doing.

    If someone's cheating on a spouse (and the spouse does not approve of extramarital sex), the spouse will likely find out one way or another at some point. What happens to the couple is up to them. But what your employees, or Congressional reps, or sports/music/theatre idols do in their personal lives including sex, just plain shouldn't matter.

    --
    https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
  116. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apart from what other commenters have said, remember, that some people really do make an effort to secure their systems and still get hacked.

    The commodity system programming model does not seem to be compatible with strong security.
    There will always be some vulnerability in even well maintained code on fully patched systems in well laid out networks.
    Yes, it would be more difficult to pull off than the Sony hack, but it would still definitely be possible.

    I'm hoping for a full post-mortem of this hack like for the HB Gary Federal one over at Ars a while back.
    I would not be surprised at all to learn that AM actually did put in considerable effort but still got owned.

  117. no, automatic loser by frovingslosh · · Score: 1

    Unfortunately, that is incorrect. Consider the all too common stories of homosexuals who keep their orientation secret and enter into supposedly normal relationships to help conceal it (having children), only to ruin another human being's life later when they come out of the closet. Clearly heterosexuals are more moral than homosexuals, as we never hear of any secret heterosexual who lived a gay life for decades and then came out as straight, destroying their partner's life in the process.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:no, automatic loser by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Interestingly it happens less often in more accepting societies where people are not pressured into trying to live a "normal" life only to have them eventually break down and be unable to continue living the lie.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:no, automatic loser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It happens a lot in my country, and I know of many straight people who have not married and have not felt pressured to do so (except maybe by a girlfriend). Are you suggesting that gay people are exhibit poorer mental processes than straight people?

    3. Re:no, automatic loser by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Since we don't hear about the number of straight people being pressed into marriage I guess it's hard to make a sensible comparison. Unless we take the number of unfaithful ones as a potential indicator of people who succumbed to peer pressure to get married although they obviously had no intention to only have one sexual partner.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  118. who's to blame?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Wait a second, people are committing suicide because they got caught cheating or trying to and it's the hacker's fault? The hacker's committed a crime in breaching AM's website, but they didn't influence anyone to use the internet to cheat.

    The hackers here are nothing more that whistle blowers. AM was breaching contract with people who paid them to forget their data, and users were attempting to cheat on their spouses.

    What we do with the hackers over this is unknown, but suicides based on getting caught trying to cheat shouldn't even come up when deciding the hacker's liabilities.

  119. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by FranTaylor · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can't hold someone responsible for being hacked, unless they've demonstrated that they didn't even try to avoid it.

    Sure you can, this is why we have insurance. If I put stuff in a storage unit and it gets broken into, it's the storage unit's fault. Period. They will have to pay me. It matters not if they tried to keep out the burglars or not. They will get paid by their insurance company but it is most certainly their fault that my stuff got stolen.

  120. Re:Puritans are scum by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

    100% of the worlds pain and misery come from these people who find glee in forcing their beliefs on others.

    Ironic coming from the guy who says this:

    College level should be 100% free to citizens in the USA, there is no reason at all to have to charge for classes up to associates, and it should be inexpensive to get to bachelors and beyond. (Original Source)

    You have no problem with forcing everyone to pay for college for some people at gunpoint, but a huge problem with some people looking down their nose at others for intentionally looking to cheat on their spouses.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  121. dear AM; this was an inside job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    dear AM; this was an inside job.
    no ethical hacker group is interested in applying devastation at this level; which is affecting millions of innocent families and children.

  122. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    Affairs are probably illegal in most states in the U.S. If not all.

    marriage is a civil contract, how does that work?

  123. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 4, Informative

    alienation of affection, which is punishable with jail time.

    Bullshit. Even in NC, alienation of affection is a civil matter.

    Affairs are probably illegal in most states in the U.S. If not all.

    Also bullshit. Just a few states still have these laws on the books.

    Furthermore, such laws are plainly totalitarian, they misplace responsibility, they view a marriage as little more than a property deed, and they elevate particular religions to sources of law. No small government conservative, nor any other supporter of a free society, could possibly support such a law. The only reason they haven't been declared unconstitutional is that no relevant case has yet reached the Supreme Court.

    One NC attorney, quoted in the Wiki, says it quite well:

    One North Carolina divorce attorney has written: "Adultery is not uncommon, but an alienation-of-affection case just polarizes everyone and devastates everything in its path including the children and both spouses....The world has changed. Women are no longer viewed as property. Alienation-of-affection is something that dates way, way back, and if there was ever a law that needed to be removed, this is it."

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  124. Re:Puritans are scum by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Punchline:

    Because the rest of your life would seem life forever and death would be sweet relief when if finally came.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  125. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, many intruders have been caught cooking their victims food, using their shower and napping in the fuckin house they just broke into. Nobody here said they were smart.

  126. Disagree. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the law really is a bad law, then nobody deserves its consequences.

    If it is an otherwise good law which is broken as a necessary side effect of an act of civil disobedience, then the punishment should still be in effect.

    For example, a public display of same-sex affection as civil disobediance for anti-homosexuality laws might also put someone afowl of public disturbance laws. Such demonstrators should be punished for the public disturbances, but should not be punished for the anti-homosexuality laws which are being challenged.

    Of course they still will be punished. But that punishment is a morally wrong action on the part of the government. Whereas the additional punishment for public disturbance might not be morally wrong.

  127. Re:Puritans are scum by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

    What you said is demonstrably wrong and should be obvious to anyone with any education above third grade or so.

    "I stubbed my toe! Curse those puritans, source of all pain and misery!" Life is so much easier when it's somebody else's fault, and when you don't have to take responsibility for your own actions.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  128. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by FranTaylor · · Score: 1

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars? If you violate any of these rules on your structure fine or punish you?

    if you are a bank or are otherwise holding precious customer value, then sure.

  129. almost 40 million by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    With almost 40 million members, if we discount the kids, the prison inmates, the elderly etc it's almost one member in every marriage.

    That's why you should never use real names on the Internet.

    1. Re:almost 40 million by MBGMorden · · Score: 1

      Two things:

      1. An account isn't necessarily a unique person. One person may have 5 accounts if they change emails every now and then.

      2. This is an international site, not an American site (actually even the company itself is Canadian). Those 40 million members are taken from the world's ~7 billion person population, not the United States' ~320 million.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
    2. Re:almost 40 million by KapUSMC · · Score: 1

      Except that number isn't limited to the US. And it also isn't limited to married people. Some single people prefer relationships with married people for a way of ensuring it stays casual.

    3. Re:almost 40 million by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      With almost 40 million members, if we discount the kids, the prison inmates, the elderly etc it's almost one member in every marriage.

      That's why you should never use real names on the Internet.

      And then discount the fake accounts, curious accounts (non paying) and the prostitutes who used it as an advertising platform you end up with probably just a few million real customers, all male and not necessarily married ( I only know one person who had an account and that is a single guy).

  130. Good Grief NO! by s.petry · · Score: 1

    You are not talking about your own stuff here so stop making invalid comparisons! If You were holding all of your neighbors crap and didn't lock your doors would YOU be held liable? That is the question you should ask, and the answer is "YES, there is such an thing as criminal negligence." Especially in the case here where you are copying personal data from your neighbors and keeping copies even though you tell them they are safe.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  131. Re:Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If being gay is considered worse than being a pedophile in Saudi Arabia then this man committed a serious crime. If someone in America gets arrested for being a pedo when their childporn ring gets busted, can they cry and say "but it's legal in Afghanistan?". And would you defend them?

  132. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you really want to make an analogy between AM and a bank, this is more like the bank CEO letting people go into the vault and take whatever for weeks just because they asked a certain way, no ID required.

  133. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you store other peoples' shit in your home for money, damn right you are responsible for its security. Nobody cares if your own stuff gets stolen.

    My wife has a yarn store and import/distribution business for fancy schmancy yarns. We have customer data, not by choice, customers demand it for their convenience. I happen to be a security/crypto type engineer. So we worked out what the plan was based on the notion that a yarn store is helpless in the face of electronic warfare.

    1) Outsource anything touching PCI-DSS. The payment card machine doesn't attach to the computer. The online payments are through a service that handles the card data on their servers while appearing to be on our web site and PCI-DSS compliance is part of their service. PCI-DSS sucks (I've read the specs - It's not pretty). But it's what we have. So pay someone else to hold the responsibility who on the surface may be better positioned that a yarn store to handle such data.

    2) Don't keep customer credit card data on a computer. Use other means.

    In general, there's nothing anyone can do who isn't deeply involved in computer security and cryptography, which on average is everyone. Those few who are involved in the intersection of retail and computer security are disempowered by the payment card companies who dictate terms, avoid liability and push absolutely useless security standards on the rest of us.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  134. The Saudi Arabia fellow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, the truth is because of the fact that he's gay, he's done something terribly wrong - in Saudi Arabia. It's bad lucky to live in such a country but, according to laws of the country, he HAS done a horrible thing. What's really regrettable here is that such countries exist.

  135. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Rest assured that the new legislation will make hacking a crime worthy of being hung, drawn and quartered while at the same time not changing anything about how corporations have to secure data, or even (god forbid!) be punished for having sloppy security.

    So in your world it's important that we don't up the penalties for the perps because it's the victims of crime who need to be punished. In my world that makes you an asshat.

  136. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light..

    Don't joke about that, that exact scenario nearly happened to me a couple of years ago. Old geezer never touched his brakes. When he hit my car, he was moving fast enough that my car knocked the car in front over top of a motorcycle and wedged both of those to the car in front of them. When the cops arrived they instantly assumed that I had caused the accident and were starting to write citations until witnesses confirmed that I had been sitting still and that I had been rear-ended.

  137. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Legal supremacy of treaties over the civil rights of US citizens is a really, really tetchy subject. There are very few if any US courts that will side with an international treaty over a US citizen in, say, a 1st amendment issue.

  138. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by s.petry · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You are talking about two different coins, not even two sides of the same coin. I believe that if you leave 100.00 on your door step you should not expect it to be there when you get home. The person who took it is not right for doing so, but you are not right for leaving 100.00 on your door step where people would be tempted to take it and in other circumstances would not have done so.

    What GP said is that if you leave your doors unlocked and get robbed, people would claim that _you_ should go to jail. Which is not a valid argument since AM is not holding their own stuff, they are holding EVERYONE ELSE'S STUFF!

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  139. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Gliscameria · · Score: 1

    We've got enough people in prison. Just make it so that if there is evidence of horrible security that the affected users have a simple recourse. Have some tiered system set up ahead of time that says what compensation you are entitled to for various breaches. Once you have that massive liability insurance firms are going to get involved and most likely require their own security presence.

    --
    X
  140. Personal Responsibility is for the plebs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I noticed that you never asked about the responsibility of Ashley Madison to delete the records they were paid by their customers to delete, but did not. Or the responsibility of Ashley Madison to protect their credit card transaction data (almost certainly contractually required by their bank and processors). Or the responsibility of Ashley Madison to protect their customer data in the first place.

    Does the Corporate Person have no Personal Responsibility at all?

    1. Re:Personal Responsibility is for the plebs by grasshoppa · · Score: 1

      Of course they do. And they should absolutely be held responsible for any breach of contract they engaged in.

      However, when it comes to members committing suicide, that's not on them. Or the hackers. That's on the people who make that choice.

      --
      Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  141. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck you and people like you. "Yikes a tragedy, let's create legislation!"

  142. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars?

    Your analogy is inaccurate. Add to your analogy that you are conducting a business to store something valuable in your home for other people: should you then be required to follow certain due diligence as it relates to security? There is a purpose to some regulation: to make it more difficult for a business to deceive the public, and to setup consequences if found guilty. It is perfectly reasonable to suggest that this company deceived the public into believing they had a secure system, when apparently they did not. It seems fair to posit that the people who profited from this deception be held to some sort of account.

  143. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by mjm1231 · · Score: 1

    I don't think anyone at all is denying the responsibility of the criminals. However, this does not exclude the possibility that there are additional persons responsible as well.

    --
    Ideology: A tool used primarily to avoid the bother of thinking.
  144. Re:Puritans are scum by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    100% of the worlds pain and misery come from these people who find glee in forcing their beliefs on others.

    Hey now, let's not forget disease. I think there are one or two we'd still be struggling with even if the religions hadn't slowed our progress by a couple thousand years.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  145. Re:Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please look up what "free speech is." You have no idea what you are talking about.

  146. Possession of stolen property?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I believe this data is considered "property"

    So if any site possesses this data, or creates a search to find if your e-mail was exposed, aren't they breaking the law by being in possession of stolen property?

    1. Re:Possession of stolen property?? by o_ferguson · · Score: 1

      No. Go home.

      --
      - In Soviet Korea, only old people loose all their bases to Natalie Portman's petrified hot grits overlords.
  147. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by cyn1c77 · · Score: 1

    Beyond that, it's an arms race. You can't hold someone responsible for being hacked, unless they've demonstrated that they didn't even try to avoid it. Reasonable preventative measures.

    That's not really true.

    Reasonable preventative measures include not saving unnecessary information like (1) credit cards, (2) home addresses, (3) full names for a site that only exists for a form of social networking.

    Extreme preventative measures include not keeping any electronic transaction records, instead only saving printouts of data.

    Both approaches would be expected for an online business that makes its profit from anonymity.

  148. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Bob+the+Super+Hamste · · Score: 2

    Well a couple of good places to start for standards in this area would first be the NERC CIP standard and once you have got that down then proceed to the Cybersec Procurement Language for Energy Delivery Systems (warning PDF) for a set of industry best practices that are highly encouraged to be in vendor contracts. While they are written for energy management systems the ideas and regulations should mostly be applicable to all other systems that need computer security as well.

    --
    Time to offend someone
  149. Re:Puritans are scum by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    forcing their beliefs on others

    how is that forcing anybody to do anything

    These things are different. Intentionally or unintentionally, you changed the subject.

    If someone's beliefs lead them to antagonize me, they are forcing their beliefs on me without necessarily forcing me to do anything (besides suffer).

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  150. like they're going to pay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ashley Madison has now offered a $380,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the hackers who leaked the data. Security researcher Troy Hunt has also posted about the kind of emails he's received from users after the data leak.

    Like they're really going to pay it. They will most assuredly find a way of weaseling out of writing that check. Most likely scenario is they will bankrupt out from under it due to a half a billion dollar judgement. All why the people in charge have protected their own assets.

  151. Ethics and lying, and black hat hacking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1) How about using a site that doesn't promote lying to one's spouse (I'm sorry, but there are PLENTY of sites like AdultFriendFinder that allow you to engage in anything AM allowed, without the advertising that basically says 'Life is short, cheat on your husband/wife') I have sympathy for those who are affected by this, but you knew what you were doing, had ways to hide your identity, and had other sites you could have used.

    2) We should have laws in place to punish system providers who CLEARLY don't follow PCI standards (there should be NO CC info in your systems, period) and worse, have very lack security around their data storage (why wasn't the data encrypted IN the database? I mean, come on).

    3) People's data should not be held hostage, and all sites should be forced to provide an 'instant delete' to support the right to be forgotten.

    4) The perps should be caught, and charged with whatever relevant computer crimes are applicable. If the system isn't yours, you should NOT be hacking it with the purpose to release confidential data on the web, and you certainly should not be able to ransom the site once you have the data.

  152. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You mean like forcing the belief that adultery is acceptable on everyone else when you get caught? Fuck off, creep.

  153. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by ScentCone · · Score: 1

    So if you're running, say, a law firm ... and someone uses a 15-ton piece of construction equipment and a crew of ten people to show in the middle of the night, smash the roof off your office building and crane-lift the 1,000-pound safe out of your office (thus losing you control over sensitive customer information), you'd consider yourself to be at fault for that loss? Be specific, on that exact scenario.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  154. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm betting that if any laws do get passed they will be to allow stiffer penalties for hackers, not the incompetents who said they'd keep people's personal data secure.

  155. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The DMCA?

    At the risk of shilling for the NRA, the 1A is already dented by the WIPO treaty. The 2A is up next with the UN Small Arms Treaty.

    The DMCA has already been vetted as the law of the land.

  156. Statistics without control group? by WD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yes, this is quite unfortunate. However: given a random selection of 30 million individuals, at what rate would suicides be observed? Make sure you know the answer to this question before jumping to conclusions.

    1. Re:Statistics without control group? by avandesande · · Score: 1

      Yeah really, how long was it, maybe a week ago? Maybe headline should say 'Being outed as a philanderer prevents suicide'

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
    2. Re:Statistics without control group? by jolyonr · · Score: 2

      I did some basic stats on this.

      There are in Canada about 11 suicides per 100,000 people per year. The Ashley Madison list contains 33 million names. So, on an average year with 33 million random people there are over 3,600 suicides, equating to 10 per day (based on Canadian stats)

      So these 2 are well within normal expected rates of suicide for this size of a group. Unless I've bollocked up my stats somewhere in which case please tell me.

      --


      Please read my Canon EOS tech blog at http://www.everyothershot.com
    3. Re:Statistics without control group? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The start of your 'bollocked up' stats is that not all of the 33 million accounts are actually distinct individuals, and not all of the distinct individuals are in Canada. Both of these factors *directly* impact the size of your extrapolated population, reducing it. Frankly, I'd be *shocked* if even a significant minority were people from Canada.

      Also, statistics describe populations. Even if your 10/day number were correct, which it is certainly not, it's still possible for 2 people who *wouldn't otherwise* have committed suicide to do so *because* their information was leaked on this list, due to actual or expected retribution (justified or not).

    4. Re:Statistics without control group? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One could even speculate that someone with a failing marriage would be at higher risk of depression and suicide.

    5. Re:Statistics without control group? by Jack+Griffin · · Score: 1

      Good point. Pretty much the same debunking as with the Apple/Foxconn suicides. Suicide makes a great headline, but under scrutiny very rarely turns out to be much different from the rate for the general population.

  157. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by ITRambo · · Score: 1

    A security audit at the level of a ISO/QS quality registrar would open quite a few eyes. There needs to be a worldwide security standard such that any company hosting private information can voluntarily submit to for a rigorous audit that not only tests their security at all levels but makes sure that systems are in place to keep it up to date. Sure, building up a secure system to be able to pass the audit, and the actually going through the multi-day audit takes time and deep five figures of cash. Private industry needs to jump in and set living standards that have to be met. Companies that pass the audits can advertise that they have state of the art security online. Until this becomes the norm, expect corporations to continue to look at security as a cost and not a commercial advantage.

  158. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

    For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars? If you violate any of these rules on your structure fine or punish you?

    Nope, but that's a flawed analogy. A better analogy would be, if you offer a service that involves storing stuff for other people, being liable for any loss or damage of their property due to negligence. If you run a hotel and your customers are robbed because you use cheap locks that mean that anyone can get into the rooms, then you should be liable. The government doesn't need to force you to enact specific procedures, it just has to prevent you from having any liability shield in the case of gross incompetence.

    --
    I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  159. In for a penny, in for a pound by wnfJv8eC · · Score: 1

    I don't have much sympathy for those persons whose names were exposed. Every time I sign up for a social media site I expect I have no privacy. I say what I want, but never expect privacy. I'm gay and have signed up for some pornographic site, but only after discussing it with my partner. I am spending our money after all. As to 'cheating' ... if you have to, shouldn't there be some full disclosure to your partner, straight or gay? If you need to there must be a reason, reasonable or not. If not ... I think your marriage is over already. Why wait? As to being a national in a overly sex involved government. That's was an upfront issue. You should know better than to put yourself at risk with your government. As to how this applies to Americans. It's time to get the equal rights and protections extended to all so that these private things don't affect day to day business of everyone else.

  160. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, you got burglarized, but that doesn't automatically mean the burglars get away with it. Insurance will still pay, the police will still make arrests, and if you're lucky, you might even recover your stolen items. So, you're not really being punished.

    Ha!!!!!

    No, the police will write a report. The insurance company will tell you your stuff isn't covered and you'll never see any of it ever again. How do I know this? Because that's exactly what happen when someone broke into my house.

  161. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He's either an anti-puritan cuckold, or he's not as anti-puritan as he claims.

  162. Re:Puritans are scum by zicAU · · Score: 1

    Commenting to remove moderation. Accidentally modded the wrong message.

  163. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OP specifically uses a burglary to make his point, which I responded to.

    When I worked the late shift at a convenience store during the summer of 1991, I got held up by two dudes, one with a gun. Thankfully, I didn't get shot. Is armed robbery a serious enough crime for you, asshole?

  164. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light.

    It's more like saying that you're going to send someone to jail because they left their bus unlocked and your briefcase was stolen out of it.

    This isn't an accident. They were negligent and allowed a malicious actor to access private information. Both they (for negligence) and the hacker or hackers (for deliberate and malicious action) are to blame. Ashley Madison did do something wrong. Perhaps not criminally wrong. But wrong. And what the hackers did was certainly illegal.

    By contrast, in your example, the person getting rear-ended did absolutely nothing wrong while the person who hit the car was negligent. There's no malice there at all. And there's only two involved. With Ashley Madison, there's three groups: the users as clear (albeit not quite innocent) victims; Ashley Madison whose negligence allowed that victimization; and the hackers who acted with deliberate malice.

  165. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by St.Creed · · Score: 1

    Don't forget they added extortion to their rap sheet.

    Boy, if they get caught, they'd better hope it's the police and not some disgruntled A-M users who find them first.

    --
    Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
  166. Pretty tough to have empathy by koan · · Score: 1

    If you're committing suicide over this then you must not have thought through your actions when signing up.
    Same with people about to lose everything financially, it's just that in todayâ(TM)s World, that people are still foolish enough to participate in this site, it's hard to have empathy/sympathy.

    --
    "If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
  167. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, the police will write a report. The insurance company will ask what was taken and you'll lie about it and get lots of far better stuff. How do I know this? Because that's exactly what happen when someone broke into my house.

  168. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Absolutely. +1

    I'd modify that post to re-iterate:

    "They've deemed themselves trustworthy to hold onto your data, and failed to safeguard it."
    "Corporations failing to protect the private and sensitive information they have been *entrusted* with..."

    Saying "Entrusted" implies I had some say in the trust relationship. The bald truth of the matter is that we rarely have any say in our data or privacy. In this case AM was offering secure deletion of data for a fee and then blatantly not deleting it. In my mind that's just plain ol' blackmail so I don't know how they get to still be in business. I wouldn't be surprised if they flagged people who asked for their accounts to be deleted as "potentially juicy gossip targets" - I mean, if you're asking for your data to be deleted then you must have something to hide.

    Nothing is going to come of all this. The analogies of securing a house miss the truth that these software projects are really, really, really BIG houses. There's a maddening level of complexity involved in these systems. Securing the front and back door of a house is trivial. Securing a 1,000,000 sq ft mansion is quite a bit harder. Someone is bound to leave a window unlocked somewhere.

  169. Umm... by Nabeel_co · · Score: 1

    "Toronto police are reporting that 2 unconfirmed suicides have been linked to the data breach."

    The suicides are unconfirmed or the links are unconfirmed? Because last I checked it's not to fucking difficult to tell if someone is alive or dead.

    1. Re:Umm... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The suicides are unconfirmed or the links are unconfirmed? Because last I checked it's not to fucking difficult to tell if someone is alive or dead.

      Between the time when the corpses are discovered in a state of apparent suicide and the time when the coroner confirms that they took their own lives, they are unconfirmed suicides.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  170. God's will by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Romans 12:19

    "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

    What we see with the Ashley Madison data dump is the vengeance of the Lord upon the vile adulterers and fornicators through his instrument, the Impact Team. They alone were chosen to do God's work.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzae_SqbmDE

  171. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars? If you violate any of these rules on your structure fine or punish you? Should we lighten up the sentences for "breaking and entering" or even burglary?

    Let's apply your analogy to the corporate world. Imagine if a bank doesn't install a security system, and a robber makes off with your retirement savings. Would you accept their reasoning that it's the robber's fault?

    There's an implicit expectation that corporations will protect their assets (including your data) when you do business with them. Companies that fail to meet that expectation are negligent.

  172. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When you put your shit in a storage locker it's usually at your own risk.
    If it gets stolen you're shit out of luck.
    This just requires all these services to put a waiver in their policies saying that if they get hacked you get nothing.

  173. Security is a joke, and a bad one. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have watched cyber security technicians dressed in full Traditional Saudi gear, carrying large white boxes (filled with donuts, no less), walk right past armed guards at military installations without getting checked. This is actually how some of my family members make their money (private security contractor). I can tell you from experience that our National Security is a sham. Knowing that, and understanding that the US government developed the internet as a tool for mass surveillance of ALL people, anyone that has faith in the security of a website is delusional.

  174. Lynch mob? by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    Ah - the joys of straw man argumentation.

    The idea that it might possibly be appropriate to challenge behaviour that is objectively damaging to society and especially its most vulnerable members, children, is ultimately what it means to be a society. That we have chosen to stop treating adultery as a crime doesn't mean that it's not a bad thing. We DO punish child cruelty...

    1. Re:Lynch mob? by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      I fail to see why a spouse having sex with someone else will hurt the children. Sure the other parent might choose to indirectly hurt his or her children as a retaliation for not having sexual exclusivity, but in this case it's this other parent who's at fault. The kid argument is really an argument against divorce, not an argument against extramarital affaires.

    2. Re:Lynch mob? by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      Ah - the joys of straw man argumentation.

      There's no strawman here. TFA and this entire comment thread are about mob justice as applied to adultery.

      The idea that it might possibly be appropriate to challenge behaviour that is objectively damaging to society.

      Do you realize what you're saying here? Aside from your assertion that you are objectively superior to others, you are saying that it's good for malicious hackers to compromise the personal information of random nobodies who might have engaged in extramarital affairs and then share that information with everyone from stalkers and violent exes to reporters and bosses.

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
    3. Re:Lynch mob? by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      I fail to see why a spouse having sex with someone else will hurt the children.

      The position seems to be that sex and especially extramarital sex are so inherently bad, that these kids will be ruined by a form of spooky action at a distance. (I am giving Bruce66423 the benefit of the doubt, that he doesn't actually discuss sexual conquests with children).

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
  175. Can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I cannot wait for all of the well sourced and clearly not biased articles(Which were written by friends!) which will blame Gamergate for this.

  176. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If a parcel is left on your doorstep do you have any reason to complain if it's taken? If you tell me where you live I'll pay you a call just after UPS stops.

  177. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But in this case it's not the credit card information that anybody cares about -- it's the customer data.

    Imagine that you could tell somebody's deepest-darkest secrets based on what kinds of yarns they looked at! You'd now have to protect the core of your business data (that's a lot harder to meaningfully encrypt when you have to spend most of your time actually processing that data).

    dom

  178. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PopeRatzo · · Score: 0

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars?

    If you run a business, say, protecting other peoples' stuff then yes.

    Additionally we should have some disclosure laws, just like food labels there need to be some standardized categories and forms companies that maintain any information that is personally identifiable other than firstname, lastname, current address, billing address, and primary phone number, should be required to disclose that on a standardized and both electronically readable and human readable format. Maybe a nice TML or INI like file.

    So, let's get this straight. You're outraged that the government should tell a business that they MUST secure customer data, and at the same time you're OK with the government telling businesses that they MUST maintain certain information...which they then are not required to keep secure?

    And why do techbro libertarians really not take the time to think their statements through?

    The "free market"...it's a cookbook!

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  179. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by nine-times · · Score: 1

    I'm not sure it makes sense to make complicated legislation regulating computer security specifically. It seems to me that this is part of a larger problem.

    First let me say that I'm not a lawyer and I don't know the technical ins-and-outs of all of what I'm talking about here. I don't mean to be speaking on a technical level, but just speaking generally on a broad problem. The problem I'm speaking about is this: It seems that people running corporations and working within corporations are no responsible for their actions or negligence. We see this when there are environmental disasters, in financial disasters, and in these kinds of disastrous data leaks. You have some big company acting completely recklessly, causing massive destruction as a result, and nobody gets punished. The worst punishment for these problems is that the company is asked to pay a fine, or sued for some amount of money, but none of the individuals involved in the decision to act recklessly face any personal punishment. Even when the company is guilty of criminal behavior, there is no criminal prosecution of any individual, and the punishment to the company is to pay a relatively small fine.

    These sorts of things seem like a serious instance of moral hazard. First, the damages to the offender are monetary and not criminal, i.e. if a company kills several people due to negligence, there's no way to lock the company up for manslaughter, so they fine the company. So already, that's somewhat inappropriate. If I kill several people with my negligence, I'm going to be sentenced to several years of prison for manslaughter. I shouldn't be able to buy my way out of that, no matter how much money I have (although admittedly, it seems that rich people can buy their way out of prison with expensive lawyers). But aside from the possible inappropriateness of punishing crime with financial penalties, there's also the problem that these penalties are inflicted on the company, and not individuals within the company. If I'm the CEO and I make decisions that cause my company to act recklessly, it's unlikely that I'll ever be held responsible for those decisions if they go bad, but I'll be rewarded if they improve the company's bottom line.

    The end result is a system that encourages reckless sociopathic behavior from people running businesses. I don't know how you fix it, but I do think it's a problem that warrants legal reform. Maybe the answer is to strip away some of the protections granted to corporations, or maybe the answer is to create new laws holding officers of corporations legally individually responsible for certain kinds of decisions, and requiring that those decisions be documented to show who was responsible. I don't know what's feasible or practical, but it does seem like the current system is unsustainable.

  180. Re:Puritans are scum by sjames · · Score: 2

    Actually, I offered two alternatives. One that many puritans wouldn't find acceptable either and one that would make a puritan's head explode.

    There may well be a gray area somewhere in fidelity, but having an affair is sufficiently distant from fidelity that it will be well past that region.

  181. Adultery should be exposed by Cito · · Score: 2, Informative

    Ashley Madison Data Dump
    http://themobilebay.org/torren...

    Don't expect to betray spouses and remain anonymous

    1. Re:Adultery should be exposed by geekymachoman · · Score: 1

      You can query the database without downloading that whole dump and importing 32gb of data into your own mysql..
      http://cndezd67wnjzg37t.onion/

      They charge $10 to check and retrieve the profile.

    2. Re:Adultery should be exposed by Any+Web+Loco · · Score: 1

      Don't expect to betray spouses and remain anonymous

      Oh fuck you and your pitchfork-wielding certainty of moral righteousness. You have no idea what the motives of the users actually are - what if it's a working girl? What if it's a gay person from a country where that's not legal? What if it's someone who has an arrangement with their spouse where this is ok, but wants the other party to have some skin in the game? And even if these users have the motivation you seem to think, it's really none of your business - stay the fuck out of it.

    3. Re:Adultery should be exposed by strikethree · · Score: 1

      Adultery should be exposed

      Yes. Society should control everyone's sexual behavior. No freedom. No self responsibility...

      Fuck that, everyone's innermost personal thoughts should be exposed to society, not just their sexual behavior. Society will bring righteous justice upon all sinners, not just adulterers.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    4. Re:Adultery should be exposed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I strongly encourage doxing the bigots who exposed or further disseminate this private info.
      Because what they do is against my moral principles. /sarcasm

  182. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    What makes a system insecure? The system integration/networking? The software, especially third party software with its disclaimers about "no liability for implied merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose"?

    None of that matters to the legislation. It can be very simple: If you expose people's private information, that your company has collected, then the CEO and board of directors do jail time.

    You would see better security overnight.

    It's funny how law and order only seem to apply to people who have to struggle for a living.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  183. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Eating pussy is also illegal in NC.

    Now you tell me.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  184. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    1) you were remarkably stupid to admit you left your home unsecured; 2)you have crappy insurance; 3) police do catch burglars because (since we're using personal anecdotes here) they caught the ones who broke into my duplex while I was attending college. There were other houses in the neighborhood that got hit over 2 week period, so the police stepped up the patrol and just happened by my duplex as they were rolling out my audio equipment into their truck. The thieves hadn't moved most of the stuff they had stashed in their own house yet, so most of the people who got burglarized got their stuff back.

  185. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by amorsen · · Score: 1

    Your house is exposed to a relatively benign security environment where you can expect criminals who try to break in to have a reasonable risk of getting caught and punished. The perpetrators are likely to be within reach of law enforcement, and the average house sees way less than one attempt per year.

    Contrast this with the Internet, where security gets probed at least hourly and the criminals are likely to be in Russia, out of reach in the vast majority of cases.

    At this point security breaches should be treated like we treat natural disasters: Building codes and risk of prison for those who endanger others by not following best practices.

    --
    Finally! A year of moderation! Ready for 2019?
  186. Re:Puritans are scum by LichtSpektren · · Score: 1

    Oh, the debunked "religion impedes scientific progress" argument. Right. I'm sure the mass murders of scientists by atheist dictators like Mao and Pol Pot have done wonders for science in comparison to irrational religious fanatics like Isaac Newton, Ibn al-Haytham and Roger Bacon. Religion ruins everything!

  187. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why don't we just instead make cheating on your marriage partner punishable by death.

    My wife says it already is.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  188. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by operagost · · Score: 1

    A funny statement, considering that either spouse may file suit. The one thing you can't accuse the law of is being biased against women.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
  189. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 1

    See, the stuff being stolen here ... It's not the property of the corporation, and they're not the ones who suffer when it is stolen. They've deemed themselves trustworthy to hold onto your data, and failed to safeguard it.

    In the United States, except for a very limited class of information, the person that collects the data owns it. If you have a credit card with your bank, they own the data associated with your account such as purchase history. If you have a cellphone, your carrier owns the data generated by your account such as your calling history. This is why companies are allowed to re-sell their customer data to marketers, etc. Only very recently has legislation been passed in the States to require certain types of consumer data to be handled in certain ways.

    In this case, the data that was "stolen" was most certainly the property of the corporation. You could try to sue them in court for damages, but there's no legal requirement that they secure their data in a particular way.

  190. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How about becoming a policeman. They make vows too, and it seems you're just the kind that will fit in, seeing all kinds of gray. What about the army? Or maybe a medical professional?

    You make a vow, it's black and white. You don't, then you can stick to whatever you want, nobody will expect differently, and that' OK, it's your choice.

  191. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, but the box was marked, "Fred's Bank". It's kinda up to the depositor to know what kind of establishment he's doing business with.

  192. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  193. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by yodleboy · · Score: 1, Insightful

    So, a willingness to cheat on your spouse couldn't possibly be indicative of character traits that an employer or the constituents of some politician might find concerning? At a minimum it shows a lack of judgement and a level of dishonesty that may extend to more important things. Not a few politicians and employees have been busted for embezzlement because they needed funds for an extramarital affair.

    As to the spouse finding out "someday"... well, I've known people who were cheated on for years and only found out through chance. For some cheating spouses, chance just happened in the form of Ashley Madison.

    Look, if you want to play hanky-panky, I agree, that's your business. When you make the boneheaded decision to use a web site to facilitate your shenanigans, don't be surprised at the repercussions of that choice. If large entities like banks and governments have breaches, why would you ever trust some hook-up site with information that could ruin your life? The power of technology can work for and against you...

  194. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Tharkkun · · Score: 1

    My question: Where would laws be aimed at?

    I fear that we would get laws like the CFAA aimed at stringing up intruders in the US, but because most attempts are coming from overseas where the local governments either ignore or actively encourage security breaches, it would not help anything. However, with the cosplan ban that the TPP [2] gives, we likely will see effort along these lines just as scare tactics and security theater.

    If we get laws at businesses, it may not help either. Sarbanes Oxley and HIPAA were to address security, and the last time I've heard of someone going to jail under those was someone who caught too many fish and was prosecuted under SOX because he tossed his stash of dead grouper.

    If a law stipulates "reasonable measures", a lot of companies would do nothing at all, throw their hands up and say that the bad guys can get through anything, and point to Target and Sony as being heavyweights, but yet nailed [1].

    If a law stipulates exact OS methods taken, the OS controls in Windows NT are significantly different from the ones available in Windows Server 2016.

    [1]: Even though basic network segmentation would have stopped Target's attack, and locking/warning IT about brute force AD password guesses would have helped mitigate Sony... and an IDS/IPS would have stopped both.

    [2]: Here in the US, treaties come before laws. Even Marbury vs. Madison doesn't allow judicial reviews on treaties.

    Sox compliance only covers public companies. Private companies not on the stock market like Ashley Madison don't fall under these regulations. It's also meant to reign in the illegal accounting and security practices when reporting quarterly numbers. Bigger companies have their own auditors in house under their payroll who help them formulate SOX compliant reports. In the end it's just more money being spent for the same old thing.

  195. Re:Saudi Arabia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not really funny at all.

    Indeed. Religions are no laughing matter. They cause too much misery.

    (OTOH, invisible sky fairies dictating peoples lives; you've got to giggle a little)

  196. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by rahvin112 · · Score: 1

    Your analogy is poor. There is a third party here who claimed to hold data security paramount and failed at that job. In your example you would pay your neighbor to make sure your car was locked up and when the thief steals from the car because it was unlocked don't you feel the person you were paying to secure it should be liable?

    AM is as responsible for this as the hackers. Their entire job was data security, to allow people to put very personal data and details online in a secure manner. If they had told the truth about their data security no one would have ever used the web site. IMO they probably hold higher responsibility for this action than the hackers.

  197. Another analogy ... by oneiros27 · · Score: 1

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light.

    If we're going to use a more accurate analogy :

    This is like sending someone to jail for driving an unsafe vehicle that shouldn't have been on the road in the first place, as it was a hazard to others around them. Like when its brakes locked up (without the brake lights turning on), as they were approaching an intersection, and the driver behind them didn't have sufficient warning to stop.

    But that'd apply to anyone with an unpatched server ... in this case, they were telling people how secure they were, and weren't. So also reckless driving for showing off to their passenger by weaving through traffic just before their brakes locked up.

    --
    Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
  198. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. Any treaty agreed to has the weight of legislation, and if found unconstitutional is unenforceable. Some people hold otherwise, but the constitution itself established if primacy. And every federal judge and official swears to uphold the constitution.

  199. FTC allowed to prosecute in the US by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    A US Appeals court has rejected a corporate's appeal against being prosecuted by the FTC for failing to ensure its security was up to what it had promised https://www.washingtonpost.com...

  200. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tharkkun · · Score: 2

    not changing anything about how corporations have to secure data, or even (god forbid!) be punished for having sloppy security.

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, have dead bolts on every exterior door, require exterior doors be steel or solid wood, limit the side of windows to no more than 1" by 1" or require bars? If you violate any of these rules on your structure fine or punish you? Should we lighten up the sentences for "breaking and entering" or even burglary?

    Personally I think with certain exceptions like public Utilities etc that already enjoy a special relationship with government and a captive market, that companies ought to be allowed to have whatever security posture they like. They should simply have to be honest about it with consumers. Government ought to do one of the few things its Constitutionally supposed to do and set some standards of measure.

    Develop some NIST definitions for overall information security postures. If companies then want to claim they have a 'Double plus good can't hack me bro' rating there is a way to prove that. Then if one of these breaches happens and its done in a way that should not have been possible while in compliance like 'plain text data on laptop found on bus' we would all be able to go after them for contract fraud or false advertising etc.

    Additionally we should have some disclosure laws, just like food labels there need to be some standardized categories and forms companies that maintain any information that is personally identifiable other than firstname, lastname, current address, billing address, and primary phone number, should be required to disclose that on a standardized and both electronically readable and human readable format. Maybe a nice TML or INI like file.

    The government already requires permits, inspections, specific codes you must follow for wiring, water, heat, etc when building a house. If these don't pass inspections your house doesn't get built. If you add to your house and don't get a permit you can pay massive fines and possibly have to rebuild it. In hurricane prone cities they have increased requirements for buildings. So yes, it sure does make sense. It also make sense when you collect and maintain personal data of others. If your house was hit by a Tornado and someone walked in the next day and stole all your customer data you would be liable. Whether it involved putting it in a safe or encrypting it electronically it's your job to secure this info or don't collect it at all.

  201. Depressing by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    It's really depressing that this thread is filled with self absorbed psychopaths who are only concerned with structuring the world to protect them from responsibility for any possible future consequences to their actions.

    I haven't seen a single comment expressing compassion for the people whose spouse cheated on them. They were betrayed by the person they trusted the most. They were exposed to disease. The wealth they accumulated to pass on to their descendents was placed at risk. Their children are going to be seriously psychologically damaged.

    Not only that, we the public were betrayed. These people accepted the benefits that go along with marriage. They took the tax benefits from our pockets, but instead of delivering a healthy family full of well adjusted future citizens, they snuck around spreading disease and discord in our communities.

    I find it so ironic that the same people who will get themselves worked into a frenzy over vaccinations have no problem with cheating spouses spreading disease through the community. You'll force a child to accept an injection, but you won't hold a married man accountable for fucking anything he can get his hands on...

    This community makes me sick

    --
    -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    1. Re:Depressing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      These people accepted the benefits that go along with marriage. They took the tax benefits from our pockets, but instead of delivering a healthy family full of well adjusted future citizens, they snuck around spreading disease and discord in our communities.

      The tax penalty levied against single people simply is; it's not a punishment for their philandering. It's just another one of the arbitrary rules of the game.

      If cheaters do the appropriate paperwork to file as married, then they ought to get the lower tax. Those are the rules, and they complied. The IRS never said "but you can't cheat on your spouse," and it's not fair to retroactively impose new conditions.

    2. Re:Depressing by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 1

      It's not arbitrary. Producing the next generation of mankind is essential to the ongoing operation of society. If you don't do it, society collapses when people reach retirement age.

      It's not punishment for philandering, it's punishment for refusing to uphold your human duty to reproduce yourself.

      I paid over 20,000 in personal income tax last year as a single man. I don't mind that a large amount of that is subsidizing families, because I will need the children those families produce when it's time for me to retire, unless I wish to freeze in the snow.

      When you cheat on your spouse, and you fuck up the family that I paid for, you didn't rip off the tax man. You ripped ME off, and I don't care what the tax man says, I don't fucking like it, and I don't want to accept it, and I want ALL that money back. With interest. Not so that I can spend it on a second vacation, but so that it can be given to a more deserving family.

      --
      -1 Uncomfortable Truth
    3. Re:Depressing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I find it so ironic that the same people who will get themselves worked into a frenzy over vaccinations have no problem with cheating spouses spreading disease through the community.

      You have never seen a single hint of this. It's a lie you made up to support what you know to be a weak argument.

    4. Re:Depressing by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Methinks you're overreacting. I'm not going to defend cheating (whatever that means) on one's spouse(s), but you're jumping to conclusions.

      Some cheaters use condoms, so they're not likely to spread disease. I don't know where you get this "wealth...placed at risk". It's probably not going to be a good thing for the children, but "seriously psychologically damaged" really sounds like an exaggeration. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but there's probably other things going on when it does.

      A happy marriage usually doesn't go bad because one spouse cheats. By the time somebody starts cheating, there's normally already big problems (the one case I personally know of a cheating spouse was in a marriage disintegrating for other reasons). In evaluating the effects of cheating, you need to consider the other pre-existing problems.

      I also find it odd that you'd accuse me of wrongdoing by filling jointly on the 1040 while not delivering a healthy family. My first marriage was never healthy. In addition to the emotional and financial toll, should I have faced charges?

      And, seriously, what's this business about spreading disease? I bet you can find single people who sleep around, or people who come to work when they have the flu, or people who don't wash their hands after using the rest room. Are these people all going to be subject to your opprobrium? Aren't they worse than people who cheat on their spouses and make sure to use condoms or other disease-preventing barriers?

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    5. Re:Depressing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And why should anyone care what you want, or who you deem "deserving"?

  202. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    But in this case it's not the credit card information that anybody cares about -- it's the customer data.

    Imagine that you could tell somebody's deepest-darkest secrets based on what kinds of yarns they looked at! You'd now have to protect the core of your business data (that's a lot harder to meaningfully encrypt when you have to spend most of your time actually processing that data).

    dom

    Yup. If you're planning to process sensitive customer data, it's not enough to expect an IT department to do it. You need to make procedural and cryptographic security the core of your business and put practitioners of those disciplines in senior positions in the company.
    If not, you and your customers are just lambs to the slaughter.

    We don't attach people's names to transactions unless they ask for it. So the yarn-dark-secrets link is relatively safe from the 2000 or so hacking attempts that get made on our little server every day.

    I think I could make a secure system for handling customer data, but it would be a full time job and I already have a job.
     

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  203. Re:Saudi Arabia by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

    And we shall be more compassionate towards jerk bigots until there is a cure for their sickness.

    Sheesh so jerk bigot gays will need TWO different cures??

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  204. Good luck with that by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    The Saudis are pretty popular with our ruling class, and they've got tons of oil. We can't really afford to piss them off without making some huge changes to how we live...

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re: Good luck with that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The US would be exporting oil if it was legal, production is far larger than demand.

  205. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by jd2112 · · Score: 1

    She's (sadly) more qualified than most politicians on tech issues. At least she knows what a mail server is. Many still don't even use email.
    Trump would build a firewall and try to get the hackers to pay for it.

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  206. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Macdude · · Score: 1

    I'm a fool if I leave my house or car unlocked at night; nevertheless, if someone breaks in and steals stuff, they have committed a crime, not me; I was naive, negligent, careless, but I didn't steal anything.
    If you are holding property for someone else, then yes your negligence is (may be) criminal, particularly if you are being paid to store their stuff and advertised your services as secure.

    --
    "Grab them by the pussy" -- President of the United States of America
  207. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I, as a cat owner, care deeply about this, thankyouverymuch.

  208. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No. Because there are puritans who are not in any way whatsoever anything even close to what you call "SJW".

  209. :-D by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOLOLOLOL

  210. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by kenh · · Score: 1

    Great idea, we should hold a rally and try and get every Ashley Madison subscriber (and their spouses) to write their elected officials to get the laws changed...

    That would work, right?

    --
    Ken
  211. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by DroolTwist · · Score: 1

    Apples to other people's Orangutans comparison

    This made me chuckle.

  212. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by shaitand · · Score: 1

    Policies would just be in place to ensure the executive was never advised the system is insecure or at least that such advisement is never documented.

  213. Don't cheat & NOHING IN UN-HACKABLE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm not a big fan of cheaters in football (Looking at you Troy Aikman) or Relationships (Bill Clinton/Josh Duggar). But to blame suicides on some cheaters getting caught is silly. Cheaters especially married ones will almost always get caught. The best thing to do is don't cheat if you don't want to get caught. More importantly don't leave any information on the internet you don't want anyone finding out. It doesn't matter if its your personal data or your dating preferences, if you put it out there someone is reading it.

  214. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you had any idea how much frustration that gave me, you wouldn't say that.

  215. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you store other peoples' shit in your home for money, damn right you are responsible for its security. Nobody cares if your own stuff gets stolen.

    My wife has a yarn store and import/distribution business for fancy schmancy yarns. We have customer data, not by choice, customers demand it for their convenience. I happen to be a security/crypto type engineer. So we worked out what the plan was based on the notion that a yarn store is helpless in the face of electronic warfare.

    1) Outsource anything touching PCI-DSS. The payment card machine doesn't attach to the computer. The online payments are through a service that handles the card data on their servers while appearing to be on our web site and PCI-DSS compliance is part of their service. PCI-DSS sucks (I've read the specs - It's not pretty). But it's what we have. So pay someone else to hold the responsibility who on the surface may be better positioned that a yarn store to handle such data.

    2) Don't keep customer credit card data on a computer. Use other means.

    In general, there's nothing anyone can do who isn't deeply involved in computer security and cryptography, which on average is everyone. Those few who are involved in the intersection of retail and computer security are disempowered by the payment card companies who dictate terms, avoid liability and push absolutely useless security standards on the rest of us.

    You have a choice, you (the payment card industry) self-regulate, or the government steps in and tells you how to do it.
    If you don't like the PCI-DSS, try to imagine what government's version would be.

  216. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Exactly. No actions are taken in a vacuum. They all have repercussions on other people, coworkers, strangers, etc.

  217. Values by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    said she's been "a long term member" of the site because her spouse's medical condition has affected their intimate life. Her spouse knows she's engaged with other Ashley Madison members, she says, but now fears she will likely lose friends and have to find a new job now that her association with the site is out there.

    Christian 'tolerance' of others' views, that's the problem, not a data breach. Sarah gave Abraham permission to have child with her handmaiden out of love for her husband, understanding that he so desperately wanted children. This act is not considered sinful by the priesthood of Israel, is the very loving act of a wife who truly cares about how her husband feels and yet if the Jesus crew full of love and tolerance think differently, they'll throw you out of work, isolate you in your community...

    People need to realize that this 'tolerant' Christian worldview is only a mask over snearing, idolatrous faces.

  218. Part of the audit process by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    It should be mandated that public companies get an audit statement that the system is adequately secure. OK - weasel words, but provides external oversight and an evidence trail. Good point though!

  219. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Keeping a promise or vow you have made is not puritanical, that is basic human decency. It is a basic human right for the cheater's spouse to expect fidelity since a promise has been made. Those who don't keep their promises are deserving of what they get. Karmas a bitch.

  220. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by swb · · Score: 1

    This is why you would end up with, if not in red letter law then in case law, exemptions in for "reasonable effort" to secure systems, even if reasonable effort ended up being pretty heavy lifting (ie, certified vendors, regular external audits, well-defined security practices, etc).

    I would imagine that any law would get so watered down by interested parties that it would be only the egregious cases eligible for prosecution or litigation. Anyone who could wave an audit around would be basically exempt because it would provide a reasonable effort shield which would deflect criticism.

  221. Re:Puritans are scum by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    The just have a different basis for 'social justice'. One is biblical the other is Marxist. They are two sides of the same obnoxious coin.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  222. Re:Puritans are scum by gnasher719 · · Score: 1

    If you love someone, you don't hurt them by cheating behind their back.

    That's the point of cheating behind someone's back: To avoid hurting them.

  223. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by ultranova · · Score: 1

    This should create the head of steam required to get some legislation passed to make companies and specific executives SUFFER if they screw up their data security. Ultimately that means if an executive is advised that a system is insecure, fails to act and it gets hacked, the executive needs to personally liable, with a small taste of prison. It happening once is all that is required....

    That will simply mean executives make darn sure no one will dare give them such advice.

    No, what's required is understanding that handling identities is a specialized task with the consequences of failure being a matter of life and death. In other words, it needs mandatory insurance - anyone's name gets out, they get paid massive mandatory damages sufficient to start a new life if they so choose regardless of whether they actually come to any harm, and the insurance company then handles punishing the culprit by trying to recover their money either through the courts or through higher rates.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  224. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "This is looking down on people who make commitments they don't keep."

    I honestly can't think of a better example of Puritanism. Your absolute tone-deafness amazes me.

  225. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

    I had my home stereo stolen and they caught the burglar, the insurance didn't pay because the items were recovered, but it also sat in evidence for a year while his lawyer delayed trial over and over again and finally got him a slap on the wrist. By the time they finally returned the stereo system I had purchased a new one, and the one that was stolen somehow got water damaged while in evidence.

  226. And this is exactly why... by erp_consultant · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Social media is for fools. It's not just Ashley Madison. It's Facebook too. It is just amazing to me how people will pony up so much personal information and entrust other people to "manage" it.

    How long is it going to be before someone hacks into Facebook and steals millions of user account details? Email addresses, phone numbers (in some cases), family photos, where you work (in some cases), all your friends (in some cases), you name it.

    Buyer beware.

  227. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by swv3752 · · Score: 1

    Actually, in some circumstances, leaving your car or house unlocked is considered an attractive nuisance, which is a crime.

    --
    Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
  228. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Society as a whole pays for the problems of it's members. To say that I shouldn't care that someone is cheating on a spouse is to say I should ignore those costs.

    I pay, in part, for every divorce that happens in my community. I pay in the form of higher taxes to pay for the judicial additional judicial load and in a slower court system.

    I pay, in part, for kids of parents having marital problems that act out at school or in public. They may simply throw fits at the store that I must endure (small inconvenience) or they may become vandals or violent.

    I am affected by co-workers who are distracted because of a divorce or because their parents or friend or neighbor is going through a bad break up.

    My sister was in an accident and had a lot to deal with because the other driver was distracted by her problems with an unfaithful spouse.

    This is not to say that the community government should meddle in any specific relationship problem. It is to say that we all should care for one another and all should realize that no one is an island. The actions of any one of us effect those around us. If someone is a jerk to their spouse, we should care and do what we can to prevent more jerks.

  229. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

    Extortion!?!? I'm guessing they won't except a cash payment in a dark alley.

  230. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Razed+By+TV · · Score: 1

    A corporation isn't a person. It is a bad argument that it is silly to force a corporation to do something if it is silly to force an individual to do the same thing.

    I think it is a reasonable expectation that companies dealing with personal information should have a certain security standard. You can argue that the market will take care of the issue, and that some corporation will emerge from the chaos promising both the features you want and the security you want. However, most people are too unfamiliar and uneducated to demand better security. Furthermore, there is little, if any, profit margin from doing it.

    We (in the US) expected broadband internet providers to compete and provide us better service, and that never happened. Why are corporations going to want to spend money on security and make a better product for us if they don't have to?

    I can see having a security standard being onorous for small businesses, and maybe they should be exempt from standards (unless they deal in medical history, credit info, SSN's, or large quantities of personal data.) But if you're pulling in millions of dollars a year, I don't want to hear about how you can't afford proper security. A site like Ashley Madison? Give me a break. Make it mandatory to put a big red flag on your site if you can't meet a certain level of security. Right now nobody knows what is secure and what isn't.

  231. Re:Saudi Arabia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not really funny at all.

    You just didn't get it. Or have the sickness of religion yourself.

  232. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    You can up the penalties 'til they border on insanity if you can't catch them it's moot and won't change jack shit.

    For reference, see copyright.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  233. Re:Puritans are scum by sjames · · Score: 1

    So you support people who renege on their agreements? That must make business difficult as well.

  234. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So you'd go to jail if someone else's stuff was there, then. I borrowed my friends PS3. My house got robbed. Now I should go to jail for not protecting their PS3 well enough, with a de facto conclusion of "if they succeeded in perpetrating a crime against you, then it's your fault and you should be punished". Gross.

  235. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The reaction (or lack thereof) I've seen from AM is absolutely appalling.

  236. legislation, why? by TiggertheMad · · Score: 1

    I am not sure that the Execs are the ones to blame here. If you are a CEO, you probably know shit about crypto and security, and if you hire a 'Expert' security coder you don't really have any way of evaluating if they are good or bad short of waiting to see if they fail to secure your data. I'm not sure that it sets a good president to allow people to be jailed based off their hiring capability.

    Anti-hacking laws aren't going to help much, as a lot of hacking crosses borders. It is already a federal crime, what are you going to do, make it a double federal crime? That would totally stop all the black hats.

    Perhaps it is on the consumer to ask critical questions of companies that you are giving your personal data to, and be more selective about who you do business to.

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  237. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Facebook went past you unnoticed? People don't give half a shit about privacy or security. They don't even understand the implications of having their private data compromised. They will only notice when it hits them personally because it simply is a non-issue. It's neither broadcast in the media (even though it sure makes for a good scare story, imagine someone taking over and ruining your life) nor tackled in any meaningful way by politics or industry. The last because they certainly have no interest in ruffling feathers, the second because they themselves don't understand it (if there is any doubt about it, just listen to any politician when he opens his mouth about anything IT, it should dispel any kind of doubt you might have that he's talking out his ass) and the first because it simply is a too complicated topic for any kind of scare TV show aiming at the usual lowlife TV junkies.

    There is no audience for security and privacy.

    Private industry won't do shit in this area because it is not in their interest. You identified it yourself that security is a cost factor without any chance to EVER create revenue. This will NEVER be done voluntarily.

    Sorry, but the idea that "the market will sort itself" is a myth. It requires a demand side with full information transparency. And that simply does not exist.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  238. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

    What makes a system insecure? The system integration/networking? The software, especially third party software with its disclaimers about "no liability for implied merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose"?

    None of that matters to the legislation. It can be very simple: If you expose people's private information, that your company has collected, then the CEO and board of directors do jail time.

    If that was the letter of the law, then the company officers in this case wouldn't be liable - they *didn't* "expose the data". Their private servers got hacked. In much the same way if I were to get mugged, I didn't "expose my wallet", the muggers simply took it by force.

    Perhaps if you reword it...

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  239. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by tomhath · · Score: 1

    Banks are required to have insurance protecting a specific percentage of deposited wealth.

    Do you advocate sending bank executives to jail if some robs the bank? But you do advocate sending a company's executives to jail if a hacker steals personal information. What's the difference?

  240. This was an inside job! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Again, This was an inside job. Interestingly all of my posts are deleted.
    Ethical hackers aren't interested in hurting innocent victims... such as families and children. Releasing such sensitive material; this was not done by a hacker.
    The volume of data acquired. It was an inside job.

    Look at the "Sony hack". Inside job. Very similar dna. similar dna.

  241. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Again, This was an inside job. Interestingly all of my posts are deleted.
    Ethical hackers aren't interested in hurting innocent victims... such as families and children.
    Publishing such sensitive material; this was not done by a hacker.
    The volume of data acquired. It was an inside job.

    Look at the "Sony hack". Inside job. Very similar dna. similar dna.

  242. Re:Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by William+Baric · · Score: 1

    You don't get the right to vilify and laugh and insult someone because they betrayed someone else.

    Yes I do.

    More than that, I think it's a moral obligation to denounce betrayers in order to protect other potential victims.

  243. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Publishing/hacking data like this is usually an inside job.

    It is close to impossible to "hack a computer" via the internet.

    How do you want to handle companies holding date of/about their customers and an employee leeks that data?

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  244. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by s.petry · · Score: 1

    You suck at analogy too! I'll give one more. Past here you are either not trying intentionally or a complete flipping moron who is beyond help.

    If a bank manager is negligent and it results in you losing your money should the bank manager be held accountable? YES! If his negligence made him rich should he be forced to give back all of the money he made using ill gotten means? YES!

    This is not rocket science, though one may begin to think so. There is a huge difference between the scenario above and what you said. You figure it out and tell people the difference.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  245. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    Their private servers got hacked. In much the same way if I were to get mugged

    Lots of people conflating individuals with corporations here.

    If you leave the back door open and your customers' stuff gets stolen, you should be liable, criminally and civilly. Just as if you don't maintain your underwater oil rig properly, and there's a catastrophic blow-out and millions of gallons of crude get dumped into the ecosystem, you should be criminally liable.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  246. wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sometimes nasty angry lesbians marry men for financial and political gain and produce abomination children. I know of one who even suggested to the public that if she didn't care who her husband slept with that they shouldn't either.

  247. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by gweihir · · Score: 1

    And there is the little thing that really skilled hacker do not pull pranks like these and destroy lives. They can earn far more money on the white-hat or grey-hat side without the risks. And once you made sure all the not-so-good to terrible hackers do not get in, you are pretty secure. The reality these days is that even amateurs have a chance to hack well-known sites. That has to stop.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  248. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by GiganticLyingMouth · · Score: 1

    Oh, sure, they might get a little bad PR, and the stock might slip a little. But that asshole executive who decided security was too costly? It's not his data being stolen, and it's not him who has to deal with it.

    While I agree with the overall sentiment, in this specific case the hackers look to have grabbed the full source of all the parent companies' websites, and the CEO's emails... which they recently released.

  249. But what IS the liability? by Sloppy · · Score: 1

    Let's say your law is enacted.

    Your wife sees your email address in the dump, and throws a glass of wine at you. $40 shirt: totally ruined. Oh, and she won't have sex with you anymore, ever. And Johnson in Accounting (who keeps his johnson in his pants, whereas you're obviously a total poon-hound) got that $10k/yr promotion instead of you (and the boss admits that you-being-in-the-dump was a factor in his decision). How much does the CEO of AM owe you?

    I basically agree with your idea of holding them responsible, but if I'm on the jury, my damages award (so far; feel free to continue the story) is $0.

    --
    As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
  250. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or to avoid violating your prenup that says if you get divorced for cheating then you get jack shit.

  251. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by goose-incarnated · · Score: 1

    Their private servers got hacked. In much the same way if I were to get mugged

    Lots of people conflating individuals with corporations here.

    If you leave the back door open and your customers' stuff gets stolen, you should be liable, criminally and civilly. Just as if you don't maintain your underwater oil rig properly, and there's a catastrophic blow-out and millions of gallons of crude get dumped into the ecosystem, you should be criminally liable.

    The situation in this case is more analogous to there being no blow out, but deliberate sabotage. Seriously, you, at some time in your life (maybe even right now) have had under your control at least one machine with a zero day exploit that you did not know about. Should you be penalised when someone actually exploits the ...erm... exploit?

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  252. Ashley Madison hack indemnification .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What exactly was the nature of the Ashley Madison hack and what indemnification did the providers of the software platform provide to Ashley Madison in the event of a security breach?

  253. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Cederic · · Score: 1

    It is close to impossible to "hack a computer" via the internet.

    You have an interesting learning experience heading your way.

  254. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    You have a choice, you (the payment card industry) self-regulate, or the government steps in and tells you how to do it.
    If you don't like the PCI-DSS, try to imagine what government's version would be.

    Imagine if they farmed the spec writing out to a list of likely suspect techy companies who have shown themselves able to create secure specs. They couldn't do worst than PCI-DSS or the government.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  255. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by imboboage0 · · Score: 1

    Sure, maybe it does indicate something about their personality, but that is neither here nor there. AFAIK this wasn't public knowledge previously, meaning someone went through the effort to find this information and release it against the will of at least one person. Not only is that illegal, but also immoral. It's no one person's place to just find shit about others to smear on the walls. Does that mean cheating/thinking about cheating is okay? Probably not. But stealing this data for a smear campaign is definitely wrong.

    Not saying this takes blame off of any of the parties involved, but I think your stance on it is a bit strange.

    --
    Honesty may be the best policy, but by process of elimination, dishonesty is the second best policy.
  256. Interesting question! by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    Thanks for making me think. I tend to agree that this case isn't the best one to provide a clear model of financial liability, because as you eloquently point out, the damage here isn't the sort that gets a sympathetic hearing for financial liability. However there is an expectation of privacy, and that has been violated because the AM site didn't make a decent attempt at security, and for that it deserves to be punished.

    A more general case arises over medical data, or data that would enable identity theft. In the case of medical - or indeed legal - data, there is a very strong presumption of confidentiality because that is at the heart of what those professions are about. I need to be able to trust those professionals in order to enable me to benefit from their services. If I'm not confident what I tell my doctor will stay private, I'm liable to edit what I tell him - and end up with the wrong diagnosis. Whilst it may be difficult to identify specific damage from a particular data loss, the overall effect of destroying confidentiality would be very serious. To the extent that this fiasco chips away at that real trust, it has a far wider significance than a 'financial' calculation points to.

  257. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by brantondaveperson · · Score: 1

    Damn right - and let's throw other victims of criminal activity under the bus too, while we're at it.

    Unless you have access to some information that I don't about how this hack was perpetrated, we have no idea whether or not it was lax data security, a disgruntled employee, social engineering of a credulous employee, hacking into data backups somewhere, etc etc etc.

    The hackers are the ones at fault here. Let's not forget that. First they stole the data, then they attempted to blackmail the organisation into closing down, and then they released the data, punishing - it should be remembered - not the ashley madison site (which I'd never even heard of before, so they're certainly getting some free publicity out of this) but the (largely innocent probably, perhaps guilty only of fantasy and poor judgement) users of the site.

    I find it as entertaining as the next guy to see a Christian Right Wing blogger have his dirty laundry aired in public, but remember that the criminals in this situation are the hackers, not the hacked.

  258. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by oztiks · · Score: 1

    I'd say its not a fair declare fault until we know with 100% certainty that it was in fact a "hack" of some sorts. Lets say it was an inside job and a simple case of data theft in the workplace. Even the NSA cant guard against such things (Snowden). Of course you can permission control data, etc. But there is always a small few that has complete access.

    Besides, in many countries what you say is already in place. Under things such as the Corporations Act. Directors are held liable for the companies behavior. The problem being nobody prosecutes these laws. I'd go as far to say that Executives having knowledge of security issues and not acting is negligence in its most simplest form.

  259. Re: Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Different AC here. I remember reading The Scarlet Letter at my Jesuit School. The message was loud and clear; the people doing the condemning were douche bags. You can pretend you're different, but it's just a digital version of the same shaming in the book.

    And the bible is pretty clear on this too (at least the New Testament). Jesus refused to stone the adulterous, in fact, he refused to even judge her as it wasn't his place.

  260. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Puritan and SJW are pretty much literal opposites.

    Just because you don't like two things doesn't mean they are the same.

  261. Vague gawping sounds... by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    One of the fun bits of life on the internet is that you encounter people who have such radically different view points from yourself that you go: 'You what?'

    The general conclusion of modern society is that 'open marriages' don't work; there really is something about sex that is fundamental to a marriage in a way that can't be proved, but is the general experience, and does tend to lead to early divorce. Certainly one of the problems of the open marriage model is that it tends to be imposed on the weaker partner by the stronger, and is part of their dominance of the other. Beyond that? Living by a radically different moral code is interesting, and may make you some remarkable friendships. However given the complexities of your situation, for the sake of your possible partners, you have a duty to declare this belief of yours very very early in any relationship.

    1. Re:Vague gawping sounds... by William+Baric · · Score: 1

      Statistics tend to show that marriages, open or not, do not work. Where I live, about 50% of marriages end in a divorce, and from my experience, a lot of others end up with two people barely tolerating each other. I wouldn't call that a good environment for children.

      What percentage of marriages truly work and offer a good environment for children? I have no idea, but I strongly believe it's only a minority.

      Also based on my personal experience, sexual desires are a major factor in a lot of separations. Either one spouse cheated on the other or wish to have sex with someone else. One common joke is that once a man is married, he can say goodbye to sex. Pretty much all my married friends feel sexual frustrations on some level. So I wonder if it's having sex with someone other than one's spouse which destroy marriage or if having an affair is just a result of a failed marriage because of sexual frustration.

      So what if our culture thought us that free sex is OK, even within marriage? What if our culture thought us that the need for sexual exclusivity is not "sane"? What if our culture thought us that marriage is only about living together and raising children, not about sexual exclusivity? Could this form of environment be more stable for children?

      BTW, If a woman cheated on me, would I be upset? Well, it happened to me, (twice that I know of), and I although I pretended to be upset for social norms reasons, the truth is I didn't care.

  262. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eating pussy is also illegal in NC. Who cares?

    Animal rights activists and cat lovers everywhere ;-)

  263. Re: Lets all attack the victim of the hack. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A moral obligation? Do you even hear yourself? What color is your wife? Are you in an interracial relationship, sounds like it's my right to start harassing you, your wife and your children. See how crazy that sounds?

  264. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by AthanasiusKircher · · Score: 1

    Affairs are probably illegal in most states in the U.S. If not all.

    Also bullshit. Just a few states still have these laws on the books.

    Nope. Adultery is still a criminal offense in 21 states, which isn't quite the "most states" the GP mentioned, but it is nearly half.

    Furthermore, such laws are plainly totalitarian, they misplace responsibility, they view a marriage as little more than a property deed, and they elevate particular religions to sources of law.

    While I agree with you that criminalizing adultery is a bit ridiculous, that's certainly not the only place where adultery enters law in most states.

    In particular, adultery is also used in many states in divorce proceedings as official legal grounds for divorce (where divorce can still happen "for cause," as opposed to "no-fault"), and in most states adultery can be a factor in determining various aspects of asset division, child custody, etc. in a divorce.

    In those latter cases, adultery is a symptom of a kind of breach of the marriage contract -- and if you want to get your "particular religions" out of marriage law, then marriage is basically reduced to a civil contract.

    That civil contract of marriage has been pretty well understood in most cultures throughout human history to preclude adultery (or at least adultery that is not approved by all parties in the marriage). Even polygamous cultures generally recognize marriage (i.e., plural marriage) as a place for valid sexual relationships to take place. Many cultures have traditionally held women to higher standards of fidelity than men, but the basic idea of some sort of sexual fidelity coupled to marriage is nearly universal among human societies.

    So -- given that fact, it seems reasonable to me that there can be legal consequences to adultery, as a violation of a civil contract -- unless the parties in a particular marriage choose to waive that requirement. Though I do agree with you that criminal penalties are a bit ridiculous (though the whole civil regulation of marriage has quite a bit of ridiculous nonsense appended to it).

    No small government conservative, nor any other supporter of a free society, could possibly support such a law. The only reason they haven't been declared unconstitutional is that no relevant case has yet reached the Supreme Court.

    As long as the government is bothering to regulate marriage, it seems like it has to mean something. That something seems very much in flux these days, but approval ratings for adultery are always ridiculously low -- much lower than even approval ratings for polygamy. Given that SCOTUS tends to mostly overturn laws when they have public opinion on their side (or nearly on their side), I think it's at least possible -- though perhaps unlikely -- that theat all part of the general meaning of marriage.y might still uphold the constitutionality of adultery statutes. And even if they overturn criminal statutes, they certainly aren't going to expunge adultery statutes from divorce law... and nor should they as long as sexual fidelity is assumed to be part of the common law meaning of marriage.

  265. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by mjwx · · Score: 1

    if the data hackers grabbed ak 47s and stormed the colocation facility and ripped out hard drives, then your analogy works. the company is innocent and the hackers deserve full condemnation

    Not sure about where you live, but you'd need more than AK47's to storm a colo in Australia. We're a country that doesn't have gun nuts and mass shootings twice a week but even our datacenters are designed to be extremely secure buildings. There will be under 10 windows, windows on the ground floor will not permit direct access to data halls, the glass will also be bulletproof and the place is under 24 hour guard. They are this secure (by law) because of the sensitivity of the data they keep. This is even if you get to the front door, datacenters are surrounded by 2.5 metre high fences and remotely controlled gates.

    A datacentre is the kind of building I'd look for in the event of a Zombie apocalypse.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  266. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    More laws?

    You people are out of your fucking minds.

    Do you see this happened due to legislation shortage?

    Mother fucking fuck of all fucks. A world run by lawyers. Who has the lawyer jokes?

    If any legislation is to be written about data security.. it should be:

    1.0 If you rely on Windows 10 for your data you should be culled for the benefit of the greater good of mankind.

    Now pretend you don't understand or that I am implying Ashley Madison was running Windows 10. Pretend you don't get what I am saying. Act stupid. Become a professional actor.

    If they were stupid enough to cheat on their spouses on some online hookup site with real information, their divorces are already enough legal system revenue.
    They modded you 5, Insightful. Live long and prosper idiots. Marriage is already a joke in the USA. Now somehow this hydra's into we need more legislation for data security and oh by the way also Windows 10 is free. oy vey.

    Pay attention to bullshit, and WHO bullshits you.

  267. Re: Puritans are scum by sjames · · Score: 1

    I don't recall claiming there can be no forgiveness or that they should be marked for life (either overtly or covertly) and I certainly have not suggested stoning.

    All of that is quite distinct from them reaping what they have sown.

  268. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Aus, its a legal requirement that you fence a swimming pool to secure it from children. I don't care what you do about your own security, but you have a duty of care to anyone you invite to use your facilities.

  269. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Uberbah · · Score: 1

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light - if the person was parked at a green light, drinking, in the middle of the night, with the rear of their vehicle spray-painted black to hide any reflective markings.

    It's not that a hack happened.

    It's that a hack happened due to willful negligence and incompetence.

  270. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by martinQblank · · Score: 1

    Really? Oops.

  271. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you overestimate the security of offline life.

    The choice is not between using a possibly insecure website vs risk-free means of meeting people.

    Ashley Madison notwithstanding, I suspect that the online route is still less risky than other ways you could go about arranging secret affairs.

  272. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

    Furthermore, such laws are plainly totalitarian, they misplace responsibility

    As opposed to say no fault divorce where a man or woman can come home and find their partner merrily engaged in a foursome and it has no legal standing? Come off it. You're why marriage is collapsing hard, it has become a contract wherein there are no penalties for acting in bad faith and no matter what happens it's usually the man who gets the shit end of the stick.

    When will men stop being treated as financial investments?

  273. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    " Banks have had people go to jail when they lied about or have not met obligations required by law."

    Yes, sir we sure saw that when the last few financial meltdowns happened. Yes sireeee.

  274. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    thank you for over-analyzing a throwaway analogy and completely missing the fucking point

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  275. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If the online payment service appears to the end customer to be on your website, then a malicious hacker could replace your website with a version which harvests credit cards. I realize that PayPal (and possibly Stripe) successfully lobbied for their embedded form service to be excluded from the more rigorous PCI auditing category (forgive the ambiguity, it's been awhile since I dealt with PCI compliance), but that's politics, not security. I wouldn't count on it lasting, either.

  276. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    That depends. Is the bank insured and can the bank provide full compensation for the stuff lost? If not then yes, they should be in jail.
    If the owner of the bank got robbed and their insurance covers them and their customer who entrusted them with things are no worse off, then no they should not be in jail. Their punishment is loss of faith and a lovely little run in with their insurance company.

    The analogy extends every which way you want regardless of who or what you replace in the analogy. You drive a car on the road and wreak yourself, boo hoo. Wreak someone else, you better have the money or the insurance to cover them.

    No one cares if you punish yourself, just don't punish others.

  277. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    This is a bit like saying you're going to send someone to jail for getting rear-ended waiting at a traffic light.

    If you're sitting in a car and get rear ended you're not affecting someone else. Your analogy is not right.

    It's more like rear-ending someone at a traffic light when you don't have insurance or money to cover the damage you've done. No one cares if you lose your car, but if you can't cover the damage to the innocent 3rd party that's when some very strict regulations should kick in.

    You're entrusted with other's things then you should be able to compensate people, if you can't there should be very severe penalties.

  278. "And I did nothing." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh No No No No and HELL NO.

    In a country that tortures women who choose not to wear a Burka, tortures women who think, tortures women who drive a car (anywhere else but the great desert) and whose Brothers committed the "Punk of the Century" by commandeering USA civilian Airliners to crash into the World Trade Towers, The Pentagon and a "gravel pit" in Pennsylvania .... No Fuck'n HELL NO.

    DIE IN FLAMING DEATH ass whipe.

  279. Re: "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled, by kenh · · Score: 1

    Victim blaming much?

    He knew he was gay, he knew it was punishable by death if discovered where he lives, and he trusted his secret to a Canadian website.

    Is there no part of this story that is the victim's fault?

    --
    Ken
  280. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by brantondaveperson · · Score: 1

    hackers deserve full condemnation

    The hackers do deserve full condemnation. Whether or not the Ashley Madison hacks were relatively easy to pull off, as in your analogy, or whether they were actually very difficult, is unknown at this point. There seems to be some indication that it may have been an inside job even.

  281. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are you saying these SJWs are likely to support the use of a site like Ashley Madison?
    I'm not convinced.

  282. Re:Puritans are scum by Boronx · · Score: 1

    And cheating is probably the second oldest tradition.

  283. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    i specifically said the hackers aren't innocent. do you see your prejudice at work in your statement when go from "deserve full" condemnation... because it "may have been" an inside job? your own words betray your uncertainty while you jump to full judgment

    regardless, when you store the sensitive personal information of millions, you have assumed a heavy responsibility. including keeping close tabs on your employees. carefully vetting them, making sure they are happy, and quickly getting rid of them if indicate malice

    the owners of this company cannot escape any culpability here, no matter what the final story

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  284. Re:Puritans are scum by Boronx · · Score: 1

    That's not really ironic. Presumably GP thinks the pain and misery caused would be worth it.

  285. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by DutchSter · · Score: 1

    Good points, but one thing I'll caution on. You can outsource the responsibility but you can't outsource the ultimate accountability. Recognizing that you're not able to handle a particular task is a fine reason to outsource it and this is a perfect example. But at the end of the day, you hired them.

    Even with the best indemnification agreement your wife's business will suffer to some degree if there's a breach. It is, after all, your wife's brand first and foremost. If she accidentally sells subpar yarn due to a screwup at her supplier she can't completely wash her hands of the affair when customers complain. Same thing if your PCI vendor lets you down.

  286. LCD or Prude? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    With the possible, make that probable...um, make the eventual disclosure on any 'secret' information on the internet, a question arises?
    Will certain behaviors continue to be damaging to ones reputation, will the internet increase damage, or will certain behaviors, as we learn they are extremely common, lose their taboo? Example: the other day I heard some interesting person on the radio predict that in 10 or 20 years we will have a President who has naked selfie on the internet, a selfie they took when they were around 20 years old. Because, such a high % or 20-ish year olds today do that.

    I think the answer is mixed, and like Ashley couldn't-keep-it-behind-the-firewall-,eh? some members will be devastated and some couldn't give a fart.

    Prediction: eventually there will be a release of the names of millions of women who have had an abortion. This will make the Ashley Madison info release look mild. Thousands of women will suffer damage, such as being fired, when anti-abortion employers or people in Human Resources start mining the lists, for example.

  287. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    Right. I did a little research that suggested the payment processor wasn't incompetent when it came to security. However the average yarn store owner wouldn't know how to do that.

    She can tell bad yarn a mile off though. We already dropped a couple of suppliers who moved their manufacturing to China and the quality dropped. However don't take that to mean all yarn that's been through China is bad. Chinese yarn processors apply the superwash process to some quality yarns.

    The card processor is not supposed to hang onto card data, but we have no way of really knowing. There are limits to what you can achieve because you are forced to rely on a number of external organizations (banks, networks, payment card processors, equipment vendors etc.) that you have not much choice in.

    If PCI-DSS specs were well architected and written, payment card equipment would be more secure and enable integration with point of sale systems without passing sensitive information through the PoS, thus reducing the attack surface.

    If the business grows large enough, we would hire some serious security experts and developers to develop our own secure payment processing. But the business couldn't support it right now and I get paid much more by working as a security expert for a large semiconductor corporation.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  288. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechyImmigrant · · Score: 1

    If the online payment service appears to the end customer to be on your website, then a malicious hacker could replace your website with a version which harvests credit cards. I realize that PayPal (and possibly Stripe) successfully lobbied for their embedded form service to be excluded from the more rigorous PCI auditing category (forgive the ambiguity, it's been awhile since I dealt with PCI compliance), but that's politics, not security. I wouldn't count on it lasting, either.

    Nevertheless, it's the right thing to do from a practical standpoint. The higher audit levels would require every mom and pop website software to be audited. Encapsulating in a window served from their servers is the right way to shield customers from the mess that is random website design and actually get it out there. If you had the higher audit levels, it wouldn't get used at all and we would have people typing thier card data into nasty php scripts written by a friend of the proprietor's daughter.

    There is little in the PCI specs that adds to the security of card transactions. These are the same people who've held back the adoption of EMV for a decade and the specs focus on vendor 'process' more than things that matter, like defense in depth system design. We have a shiny new EMV and NFC compatible card reader and it has a big sticker on the bottom proclaiming it to use triple DES, like that's a good thing. Look a bit deeper and it's 1024 RSA for the key agreement and some mode of DES for the transactions. The 1990s called and wants its crypto back. This is written in some software on a microprocessor in the box. I have no way of knowing how crappy that software is, except my years of experience in secure system design that tells me it'll have more holes than Swiss cheese. But it would violate PCI-DSS rules for me to open the box and take a look inside.

    --
    I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
  289. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Ash-Fox · · Score: 1

    People like Bruce will fill the position with minimum wage and little power to exercise. Bruce would be the fall guy.

    --
    Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  290. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tom · · Score: 1

    What makes a system insecure? The system integration/networking? The software, especially third party software with its disclaimers about "no liability for implied merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose"?

    That is the problem, right there.

    If you want to run a secure system, you should not be allowed to use such software on it, period.

    True, Free Software is great, and often of the highest quality. But why is there no market for secure software, if we have such a need for it?

    Because it matters little if you download your server software from Github or buy it from Vendor X for half your money plus your firstborn son. When the shit hits the fan, both of them will point to some clause in the license that absolves them of any and all responsibility.

    To me it smells like Sarbanes-Oxley all over again.

    No, SOX is too weak to cover this.
    Disclaimer: I was the head SOX guy at a company.

    It's patently ridiculous how you can be absolutely compliant with very little effort if you kick out the consultants and put some actual thought and understanding of your business systems into the compliance topic. If consultants designed your compliance, you are almost certainly spending at least twice as much as you need to, and probably ten times. If you get them in only for the testing, you're doing it much smarter.

    We need liability, not compliance. That's a different thing.

    If I can buy software that the vendor actually guarantees for, and is sure enough in to take liability for, then we are going somewhere.

    Worse yet, what about unknown exploits used for which there are no patches?

    Software has bugs. But we know how to write software so that it has at least one, possibly two orders of magnitude fewer bugs than the crap we produce every day.

    It's just that it's a bit more expensive.

    If there were liability, suddenly that equation would change. If bugs cost you actual money and not just the effort of fixing it and a small risk of reputation loss, companies would understand that writing almost bug-free software in the first place is cheaper.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  291. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tom · · Score: 1

    how corporations have to secure data,

    Corporations are trying.

    IT is not supporting them very good in doing it.

    Our software is shit, our systems crap, our understanding of business laughable. We are not the solution, we are the problem.

    Readers excercise: Customer is requesting a company website, with a CMS system so his PR people can manage it. Build it securely. What are you going to use? List the systems you want to use. After you have selected them (don't read on until you did!) - imagine you did this three years ago. Check how many bugs your selected systems had in this time that could have been used to hack this website.

    Would you have accepted liability for any successful hacks on this website? Why not? The corporation wants to secure its data and is even paying you for it. I'm quite sure it's not their interest that makes this fail, but your inability or unwillingness to provide.

    Because you can't. Such a system would have to be custom-built, almost from the ground up. And not just the software. The whole management environment, the whole password management scheme, if your customer is a high-profile target, maybe even the hosting and networking. Heck, there are so many BGP attacks that can get that website redirected elsewhere and everything you did on the system was for nothing.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  292. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Gumbercules!! · · Score: 1

    Sounds like someone's being reading the promotional material. I don't know what part of Australia you live in but I actually work in many Australian data centres and I *promise* you, I could get in without an AK-47. I have personally coat-tailed in to many of them, behind complete strangers, on more than one occasion. I make a game of trying to do just that, in fact - just to see if anyone ever stops me. In all the times I've done that, I recall once that the person in front of me, who I was coat-tailing, actually stopped me and asked me for my ID. Considering he was not even an employee of the datacentre but just a colo customer, I don't know what he could even have done, had I told him to get stuffed.

    Many of them would be trivial to break in to, if I didn't care about leaving physical damage behind and the only ramification would be I'd be caught on film (which would hardly be a major issue for someone willing to think it through).

    For all the talk about being extremely secure, many are basically if not completely (usually completely) unmanned after hours, many are in normal office buildings in and around the various CBDs and rely on little more than a swipe card preventing you selecting a specific floor from the lift and not having a hammer to break the invariably glass door past said lift (which may be tempered glass but it's still only a couple cm embedded into an aluminium frame, so bullet-proofing isn't going to help, here). There are a handful of higher tiered ones scattered around that do have (a single) security guard(s) after hours but I they're usually little more than a concierge.

    As with all things in Australia, the vast majority of our datacentre physical security comes down to our national security policy of "it'll never happen, so why worry about it".

    I have been in datacentres that house equipment belonging to a certain American company, that starts with "G" and ends with "oogle" and the only enhanced security they had was a yellow mesh around their racks, made out of the same stuff that fails to protect the doors and windows of residential houses from 12 years olds on a daily basis.

    I've been in the supposedly "most secure, tier 3" commercial datacentre in the country and seen the perimeter fence and main access doors propped open by reels of cabling, because electricians doing onsite work didn't want to have to be buzzed in, constantly, while collecting stuff from their vans. I've even had an electrician who was testing onsite UPS hold doors to secure areas open for me, without asking me who I was or if I had access to them (without me even asking him to). Security in Australian datacentres is not quite where it should be.

  293. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tom · · Score: 1

    In general, there's nothing anyone can do who isn't deeply involved in computer security and cryptography, which on average is everyone.

    This.

    Don't think companies aren't trying. But it's incredibly hard, and one mistake is all it takes and you're owned.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  294. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I actually see this differently. I prefer my politicians to be truthful and faithful in their marriages. If they lie to the person closest to them, how could I trust anything they say to the public? How could I believe they refuse bribes if they cannot refuse sexual advances?

  295. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tom · · Score: 1

    While funny, that is also 100% spot on.

    To answer the GP: Because it's none of our business and the people involved should decide what is permissible and what not and what the punishment is.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  296. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who eats cats?

  297. Marriage WORKS by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    A stable environment is the best basis to bring up children - that's as clear cut a conclusion of social science as I know of. Marriage should provide a bulwark in achieving that stability. That you seem unwilling to accept the value of stability or the value of marriage towards that stability, I find perverse. That your perception of human nature is so pessimistic, I just find sad.

    1. Re:Marriage WORKS by strikethree · · Score: 1

      A stable environment is the best basis to bring up children - that's as clear cut a conclusion of social science as I know of.

      While I am not certain the science is entirely settled on this, from my own experiences, I tend to agree.

      Marriage should provide a bulwark in achieving that stability.

      Should? Really? Is that the best you can do? Should? I have anecdotal evidence that your thesis is wrong. Does an anecdote prove a thesis? No, but it can disprove one.

      My best friend refuses to get married. He now has children who are close to 18 and they have had an extremely stable home so far. Marriage not required; however there is intense pressure for him to marry her. Both families and all of society essentially conspire to force them to marry. In fact, there are laws which say they are legally married now despite him not wanting to get married.

      That you seem unwilling to accept the value of stability or the value of marriage towards that stability, I find perverse.

      I am unsure how you read that I am against stability or "the children" but go ahead and keep crying that cry. For the children indeed.

      That your perception of human nature is so pessimistic, I just find sad.

      I prefer to perceive reality, not wishful thinking based on puritanical models of behavior. That you find reality sad is none of my concern. I will give you this advice though: Yourself, and many others in this story have deeply ingrained puritanical leanings. These are biasing your views of what you see going on around you. Beware. Witch hunts are not that far away.

      Look at the posts here: Most of them are screaming for blood. That all of the victims here deserved it because they were in turn victimizing someone else by cheating. Some have even called for all of this data to be examined by society.

      Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. Be careful of your biases, they will lead you to very dark places.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
  298. Sexual frustration as an excuse for divorce? by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    Underlying society is a set of implicit and sometimes explicit contracts that make the place operate. One of the explicit ones is the terms on which a marriage is entered. Historically there was also an implicit understanding that children would only be born within marriage.

    Modern rebelliousness has resulted in marriages becoming less worked at, and the need to get married before children are born has disappeared. The result is a lot of messed up kids. It's also led to an epidemic of loneliness.

    We've now arrived at a society where 'personal fulfilment' has become the ultimate good, to the de facto exclusion of all other considerations. A society will fall apart if there is that freedom to do whatever you want without regard to your responsibilities. Bread and circuses may get us through a few more years, but Islam will be along shortly to appeal to those who have had enough. I assure you that that won't be fun...

  299. OK? by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    The bible records a lot of things. That it's 'in the bible' doesn't prove that it's OK. The story of Lot being got drunk by his daughters and then seduced by them (Genesis 19) doesn't give a commendation for their behaviour. There are passages that you can argue endorse behaviour that we can't accept - but this isn't one of them.

  300. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by brantondaveperson · · Score: 1

    i specifically said the hackers aren't innocent. do you see your prejudice at work in your statement when go from "deserve full" condemnation... because it "may have been" an inside job? your own words betray your uncertainty while you jump to full judgment

    Sorry, I don't follow. They deserve full condemnation, whether or not it was an inside job. If it was an inside job, then I suppose in some sense they're not 'hackers', but nevertheless are clearly quite bad people. I don't see what you mean by 'prejudice' in the context of what I said.

    Plus, if it was - say - a disgruntled employee, how on earth is it possible to hold the company to account for that? What if he or she hid his or her disgruntlement (quite possibly not a word) from their employer - how is an organisation supposed to operate if they become liable for every bad thing that any of their employees get up to? Which is why I cannot possibly agree with:

    the owners of this company cannot escape any culpability here, no matter what the final story

  301. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by dbIII · · Score: 1
    Ok, now the posts about the puppies are making a bit of sense.
    No fault divorce works both ways and can give a man a quick way out if he is being treated as a financial investment or comes home to what you described - no need for evidence, statements etc. Think beyond the juvenile fantasy to how difficult it would be to deal with the reality of the word of four against one or possible physical violence, plus ongoing drama of multiple people being dragged through legal proceedings that are likely to not get to court for a year or longer in many areas. Life is not TV. Accusations and counter accusations really fucked things up for a lot of people back in the day and the juicy bits used to end up in the papers - bad idea all round even if the person who the accusations stick to the most gets the shit end of the stick, and guess who that normally was even if the wife was the only one who was actually playing around?

    no matter what happens it's usually the man who gets the shit end of the stick

    Complain to your local representative if the judgements are unfairly skewed where you are. If you are old enough to vote they will take some time to listen. It's probably far less skewed than back when fault was required and an unproven suggestion of wife beating was all it needed to give the man the shit end of the stick.

  302. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

    Ok, now the posts about the puppies are making a bit of sense.

    Disagreement becomes hate whenever you're dealing with an extreme leftist. Don't gulag me bro.

    No fault divorce works both ways

    Gosh maybe that's why I said "a man or woman" above. So having set up that strawman you proceed to tackle it with all your might.

    can give a man a quick way out if he is being treated as a financial investment

    You really have no idea what happens to men in the family courts, do you. I mean this comment is flat out nonsensical.

    Accusations and counter accusations really fucked things up for a lot of people back in the day

    And they still do, especailly when it comes to children. Seriously you've no idea what you're talking about here, so I suggest you educate yourself before sticking your oar in.

  303. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by dbIII · · Score: 1

    Disagreement becomes hate whenever you're dealing with an extreme leftist. Don't gulag me bro.

    No it's just become very clear that you are quite young - nothing about disagreement since the other posts were just about stuff you had missed not about opinions.

  304. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

    Oh you mean stuff you made up and assumed without bothering to find out first? You realise you can still have divorce on tap while applying penalties in seperation proceedings for things like adultery, male or female? As it stands many of the assumed obligations in a marriage (and do not start accusing me of gender role enforcement for pity's sake, that's not what I'm referring to) have little to no legal standing which to my mind isn't simply unjust, it's bad contract law.

  305. Anecdotes and theses by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    "Does an anecdote prove a thesis? No, but it can disprove one."

    Whilst a persistently recreatable test tube based experiment will disprove a thesis in 'hard' sciences, in the social sciences, the best that is on offer is a degree of correlation: this pattern of behaviour is associated with more positive outcomes than this pattern. It's on this basis that the claim that marriage acts as a bulwark for family stability is made - there is a marked propensity for married people to stay together, thus providing kids with the stability they need - whereas there's a propensity for the unmarried to split up. Now there will be exceptions - and the fact that you can show an example of an unmarried couple staying together is good to hear - but it doesn't disprove the thesis.

  306. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    Alienation of affection laws misplace responsibility because the third party with whom an affair is conducted is held financially liable, even though personal responsibility lies with the unfaithful spouse.

    I get that you want the government to protect you from your own bad decision making and inability to form meaningful relationships, but such things have no place in a free society.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  307. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    As long as the government is bothering to regulate marriage, it seems like it has to mean something.

    I think that's pretty flimsy, but the shocking thing about the 'alienation of affection' laws under discussion is that they hold the third party liable, essentially for 'stealing' the (historically female) spouse, who is themselves viewed as a piece of property with no decision making capacity. That's the definition of marriage the government is supposed to uphold using force of law?

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  308. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

    I'm not in favour of holding third parties responsible, they didn't sign anything, although I can see how my comment might be construed as such. Given that mutual fidelity is an assumed if not explicit part of the marriage contract, why shouldn't adultery factor into divorce proceedings? Nice touch with the whole "it's your fault if your partner cheats" thing though.

  309. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are a foaming retard.

    A Complete foaming retard. I suggest you learn what misery is.

  310. Re:Puritans are scum by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Yet you support divorce completely.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  311. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by dbIII · · Score: 1

    Assuming contract law is the same is one example. I'm not accusing you, just attempting to enlighten you a little bit in both cases but those jumps to conclusions based on tiny bits of the picture are a bit of an impediment.

  312. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Look at how scientifically advanced all Muslim countries are.

    Oh wait...

  313. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    The one thing you can't accuse the law of is being biased against women.

    Lawyers familiar with the application of the law disagree with you, but even if we stipulate the extraordinarily dubious idea that men have no advantages over women in our legal system, alienation of affection laws arise from common laws which were explicitly or implicitly targeted against women, who were/are viewed as nothing more than property with no decision making capacity. That's why the laws hold the third party financially responsible.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  314. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    And that's if you can afford insurance (and perhaps legal representation), police take your complaints seriously, and the lost property doesn't severely affect your life.

    Getting robbed sucks no matter what, but imagine how bad it would be if you were poor and lost something critical to your career.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  315. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Munchr · · Score: 1

    So, if this wasn't a theft of PII by network hack, but instead a physical break-in/raid resulting in the loss of all paper files, should all the executives still be on the hook? Say, if Ashley-Madison operated before the internet age, where customers visited an actual brick and mortor location and filled out paper forms, rather than electronic. Should a physical store be required to be Fort Knox before executives can be considered blameless for a breach?

  316. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

    Given that mutual fidelity is an assumed if not explicit part of the marriage contract, why shouldn't adultery factor into divorce proceedings?

    No one has said that it shouldn't in this thread, which was about so-called alienation of affection, and by extension the criminalization of adultery (and government enforcement of civil/financial remedy) rather than the bearing of adultery to divorce proceedings.

    Nice touch with the whole "it's your fault if your partner cheats" thing though.

    I first explicitly wrote "responsibility lies with the unfaithful spouse." Then I only implied that the other spouse could share some responsibility as well. As you say, the third party didn't sign anything.

    --
    .: Semper Absurda :.
  317. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

    Your vast ignorance on these matters is best highlighted by your comment "No fault divorce works both ways and can give a man a quick way out if he is being treated as a financial investment", which of course followed the passive aggressive personal attack and was followed by continuing dimunitives in a desperate attempt at damage control.

    I guess I'm done here.

  318. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If someone's cheating on a spouse (and the spouse does not approve of extramarital sex)

    If they do approve, is it still cheating?

  319. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have you ever seen a storage contact. The almost always disclaim any possible risk including burglary, fire, and natural disaster.

  320. Re:Puritans are scum by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 1

    That's not really ironic. Presumably GP thinks the pain and misery caused would be worth it.

    Much like the "puritans" believe the same thing about forcing their beliefs.

    --
    Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
  321. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by yodleboy · · Score: 1

    My stance is that the people using that site should have known better and I have little sympathy for them, playing with fire and all that. Was the hack illegal? Sure, and also inevitable at some point. I never meant to imply that it was OK in itself. I do think, however, now that the cats out of the bag, that there's nothing wrong with searching it and possibly acting on the results of that search. Maybe two wrongs can make a right at this point?

  322. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This would be unworkable, or rather would be socially impossible.

    Companies cannot and will do business online if we hold them responsible for every security flaw in all software they run. Lets assume some brave company wants to do any business online (take orders, have customers and whatnot), they would have to have the technical knowledge to write (or be able to audit and completely and fully understand) every line of code of all software in their infrastructure from BIOS to OS on servers workstations and even appliances like network switches and then be able to fix it as anyone of those could have a flaw that would allow an attacker access. That would like demanding in order to own a car you have to be able to build one from scratch with all embedded systems too. It is completely infeasable. And would likely lead to lots of proprietary solutions as if you are completely secure and your competitor is not, hey thats an advantage.

    What would probably work best is have a set of guidelines or standards. Patching known vulnerabilities within x days. Not running out of date systems. Securing user information with appropriate security and whatnot. Not storing plain text personal information. And then fine any company that doesn't do this massively. We are at a point where the cost of doing things reasonable proper should be cheaper than the fine and would hopefully make companies do it.

    There are tons of 3rd parties to handle this sort of thing for small companies as well

  323. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    you refer to hypothetical situations, yet you are willing to give the hackers 100% of the blame already

    why are you so quick to rush to relieve the owners of any blame? you have an agenda and a prejudice. you have recused yourself, you have lost all credibility to properly allot blame

    and if you say i am the same, i was the one saying the hackers are not innocent, before you jumped in with your prejudice and curious desire to deflect all blame from the owners

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  324. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by TechNeilogy · · Score: 1

    Yep, the only thing tougher laws will do is increase the punishment for the intern who loses the blame lottery.

    --
    "The wisdom of the Patriarchs was that they *knew* they were fools." --Master Foo
  325. Fascinating misunderstanding by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    With the exception of a few horrendous examples of gay people fearing for their lives, I'm not aware of danger of PHYSICAL attack as a result of this fiasco. And if you were in the slightest hearing me as suggesting that would be good thing, then I've got it badly wrong.

    But suppose this hack had been of the identities of people watching child pornography? Wouldn't the reaction from the majority have been far more negative? Instead of a mixture of embarrassment and tittering, the people exposed would have excoriated by wider society. And yet, it is arguable, that a WATCHER of child porn is less destructive to real children - especially if that porn is CGI generated - than an adulterer who destroys a family.

    To my mind it is appropriate to challenge BOTH these behaviours to a substantial extent. Yet in practice the adulterer tends to be easily forgiven, whilst the child porn viewer is held up to public rejection for ever more. How would you react if a friend of yours got sent to prison for watching child porn? And how would you react if she got caught in flagrante delicto with another person?

    Ultimately it's all about WHERE we draw the line, and why. Everyone draws the line somewhere: Overt racism will probably get you booted out of most circles etc etc. I think the adulterer deserves the same treatment as a racist. YMMV. But to dismiss my treatment of an adulterer as the behaviour of a lynch mob but condone similar treatment for an overt racist shows a failure to think. Adults are expected to think - that's why they let us vote...

    1. Re:Fascinating misunderstanding by reve_etrange · · Score: 1

      With the exception of a few horrendous examples of gay people fearing for their lives, I'm not aware of danger of PHYSICAL attack as a result of this fiasco.

      The AM hack exposed the personal information of 32 million subscribers, about 3.2 million of who are women. It is a statistical certainty that at least thousands of these people have been subject to abuse, and as much so that some of them will experience more abuse because of the hack. Take these statistics and multiply them by 3.2 million.

      Furthermore, Wired reports that a PI firm has created a site which permits anyone to search the AM data easily, without having to know how leaked data dumps are usually shared.

      And if you were in the slightest hearing me as suggesting that would be good thing, then I've got it badly wrong.

      I appreciate your straightforwardness, and lack of hostility. Looking back in the thread I see something like "AM hack response == puritan lynch mob" >> "It's OK for us to challenge people [like this]." Though not written explicitly, the [like this] seemed like a clear implication, which is why I did hear it as a suggestion the hack/doxxing is acceptable.

      But suppose this hack had been of the identities of people watching child pornography?

      Having reviewed the AM user statistics linked above, it's pretty clear the vast majority of users were never able to realize an affair, or even to communicate with a potential partner. 90% of the users are men, suggesting 81% are heterosexual men and 9% are heterosexual women (~10% of people are gay). That gives a 9:1 ratio. In light of that, the analogy ought to be "people who registered potential intent to consider watching child pornography." Creating an Ashley Madison account is apparently tantamount only to admitting the potential intent to consider an affair, which (most likely) never occurred.

      Nevertheless, assuming the direct analogy is valid, the result of such a leak would be to make criminal convictions for those people extremely difficult to obtain. The mob cannot deliver justice - no matter the crime - because mob justice is arbitrary and irrevocably severe. Thus, I say that the extralegal doxxing of child porn watchers is also likely to result in a worse overall outcome than allowing the legal system to proceed by its usual means.

      And yet, it is arguable, that a WATCHER of child porn is less destructive to real children - especially if that porn is CGI generated - than an adulterer who destroys a family.

      Maybe so (if and only if your 'especially' become 'only'), but then again you've intentionally chosen to compare the least and most extreme cases of child porn and adultery, respectively.

      The fact is, a large plurality of men and women do commit adultery. A large plurality of marriages also end in divorce, which is almost always quite traumatic for children. Sexual frustrations are often cited as contributing to both adultery and divorce. A more sexually flexible society would probably exhibit greater family stability when compared to our rigid one.

      Overt racism will probably get you booted out of most circles...to dismiss my treatment of an adulterer as the behaviour of a lynch mob but condone similar treatment for an overt racist shows a failure to think.

      You now say you're treatment of an adulterer is considerably more mild than the remedy forced upon us by the AM hackers, in which case your point is somewhat valid. I say 'somewhat' because the scourge of racism, which is mathematically guaranteed to result in inferior group performance*, has been enorm

      --
      .: Semper Absurda :.
  326. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by phorm · · Score: 1

    "You can't hold someone responsible for being hacked"

    And if it were a complex exploit or a zero-day, maybe. That's like getting robbed a fancy movie when the thieves rappel in through the ceiling and use special tools to disable the motion detectors and open the vault.

    But in these cases it's more often than not just due to being lazy and cheap. I can't find the exact article, but basically it sounds like they had internet-exposed network devices with default passwords. Basically, their security was a back door with a cheap lock, a motion-detecting lamp, and a safe with a combination of 1-2-3-4. Stupid shit like that just shouldn't get a pass.

  327. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah! Let's execute employees when shoplifters take stuff!

    You fucking tool.

  328. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Shortguy881 · · Score: 1

    Legislation made in the heat of the moment is always a good idea.

    --
    Brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
  329. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Shortguy881 · · Score: 1

    This may seem like a moot point but I would think it's the thief's fault your stuff got stolen.

    --
    Brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.
  330. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by s.petry · · Score: 0

    If the management removed all the locks from the doors to save money and get bigger bonuses YES they should be on the hook. You, and the other people, keep ignoring the negligence which results in these massive hacks.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  331. on cheating by Tom · · Score: 1

    Brilliant video (20 minutes), absolutely must-view for anyone riding the morale high ground here:

    http://www.ted.com/talks/esthe...

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  332. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by bledri · · Score: 1

    And that is the root cause of this whole situation. We need to find a way to change the overall mindset (especially in these here Unitee States) towards other people's personal sexual congresses. Not only should it be nobody else's business, but nobody should even **care** what some person they're neither related to nor dating is doing.

    If someone's cheating on a spouse (and the spouse does not approve of extramarital sex), the spouse will likely find out one way or another at some point. What happens to the couple is up to them. But what your employees, or Congressional reps, or sports/music/theatre idols do in their personal lives including sex, just plain shouldn't matter.

    I agree with your larger point, other people's sex lives are none of our business. Unless they make it our business. If a Congressman campaigns against homosexual activity and then gets caught engaging in homosexual activity, that is our business. The same for so called "Family Values." Anyone making claims to some sort of puritanical ethic and trying to force that ethic on others.

    Basically, anyone vilifying other people for their personal activities is fair game.

    --
    Some privacy policy Slashdot.
  333. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So if you are eating pussy right now in North Carolina, drop it and move away from the pussy slowly.

  334. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does that include US Government employees? If so, half of Obama's Cabinet would be in jail now.

    Not that they shouldn't be anyway.

  335. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by niftymitch · · Score: 1

    not changing anything about how corporations have to secure data, or even (god forbid!) be punished for having sloppy security.

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system, ................... .

    This is almost interesting -- if we look at the Pile of Stuff that is WindowZ the need to install patches is astounding. The need to run an anti virus add on is too obvious.
    One dog in the yard called Windows 10 may act like a government forcing a home security update process on ya.
    We can debate what could go wrong but for the vast farms of attack bots assembled around the globe and under
    control of random bad and "good" guys the move we are seeing with Windows 10 may help.

    Nothing keeps companies and agencies like the State Department from doing bad things. There is a hook to allow
    a company to take charge of the update flow....

    But yes, we are mandating health care in the US and via proxy software vaccinations.

    --
    Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain.
  336. Re: Very sad - but let's get legislation in place by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    One reason why you don't hear about many people being jailed for SOX or HIPAA violations is that the people in question typically don't want to be jailed. They tend to do whatever they have to to avoid being perp-walked out of the building.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  337. Re: "I am about to be killed, tortured, or exiled, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The message is be responsible for your own actions and their consequences. He did all that knowingly. He's just sad that he got caught. Now man up!! (No pun intended)

  338. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by s.petry · · Score: 0

    Some corporations are trying today, but this comes after decades of cost cutting at the expense of the customer. People quickly forgot about the Melissa virus and how it killed companies.

    Executives tend to make the decisions which make them and their companies the most amount of profit and maintain customer content. That last part does not imply that the company really gives a shit about the customers data, but may worry about continued revenue from a particular customer.

    Without the Guardian, Intercept, and other uncontrolled media sources you might not have heard about the AM breach.

    --

    -The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.

  339. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    The idea behind corporate liability is that boards of directors are supposed to hire executives who aren't going to trash the company. Unfortunately, it's pretty clear here that boards are typically delinquent in their responsibilities to shareholders, giving us CEOs who are serial company-killers and obscene executive compensation.

    The problem with monetary vs. criminal penalties are twofold. First, we can levy only monetary penalties on corporations (up to and including bankrupting them, which is the closest thing we'll get to a corporate death sentence). Second, to inflict criminal penalties on a person, we need evidence showing beyond a reasonable doubt that that particular person did some specific illegal thing. We usually don't have that in cases of corporations committing crimes (and we tend not to prosecute when we do, a different problem).

    In this case, we have a company that kept personal information and had it revealed, ruining people's lives. They can sue for damages, but who do we convict? I'd be willing to bet that nobody in the company did anything specifically illegal in handling personal information, but that top management demanded results with low costs, basically excluding security, and the workers did what they could with the resources allocated.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  340. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    What you'd get is companies being unable to keep private information, or mass resignations. It's possible for a company to make security a priority and still be hacked into. The hackers have to outsmart the security guys only once. Nobody qualified for CEO or BoD is going to want to take the risk of imprisonment for something they can't directly control.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  341. Re:Puritans are scum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's the point of cheating behind someone's back: To avoid hurting them.

    Cognitive dissonance on a galactic scale. Or did I just get whooshed?

  342. Fair comment by Bruce66423 · · Score: 1

    True, there is a history of legislation introduced in a rush going horribly wrong. OTOH, unless an incident occurs, legislators are unlikely EVER to act. Actually the prospect of a successful group litigation might concentrate a few minds as much as legislation; a few shareholders asking 'Is the CEO confident that the cyber security of your firm is adequate' might then concentrate minds. Certainly it's got the subject publicity!

  343. Re:Puritans are scum by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    Trying to buy something is forcing one's beliefs on somebody else? As far as forcing them out of business if they stick to their beliefs, that could be a concern if it ever happened. (Read up on the case. The would-be customer, feeling offended, filed a complaint, at which point the bakery tried to gay-shame them publicly. If the bakery had just shut up about it, they'd have faced a minor fine at most.) (Also, ponder that cakes are not part of the marriage ceremony, they're part of the party normally held afterwards.)

    One of my core religious beliefs is that, when you hurt somebody needlessly because of your religious beliefs, you're doing it wrong.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  344. Re:Puritans are scum by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    Read up on it. While marriage is quite common, and is present in all cultures I know of, it's taken various forms, and frequently (typically in matrilineal societies) has had nothing to do with marital fidelity. I was reading up on one in which marriage appeared to be an economic arrangement, rather than a sexual one.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  345. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And, don't forget, the new law will not apply to members of Congress.

  346. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    You have an interesting learning experience heading your way.

    No, I haven't :D E.g. my computer is behind a router (which implies firewall, which implies no one form the outside even sees it, next try?)

    Or you have a different interpretation what the word "hack" actually means.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  347. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by nine-times · · Score: 1

    (and we tend not to prosecute when we do, a different problem)

    But maybe that's actually the big problem. Like I said, I'm not a lawyer, certainly not one expert in this field, but the general perception that I have (and I think that the public has) is that if I were a CEO, I could order criminally negligent actions by my company, have a paper trail detailing my orders, and still nothing bad would happen to me. My company might get fined, but in my worst-case scenario as CEO, I'd probably walk away with a golden parachute.

    From the things I've heard about, I almost feel like... If I dumped poison into someone's drinking well, and they die, I'll get charged with murder or at least manslaughter. If I'm a CEO and I knowingly order people in my company to dump poisons into the ground water, thereby poisoning a bunch of wells and 30 people die, then my company settles for several million dollars and I walk away scot-free.

    Now, that might be a problem with enforcement rather than the law on the books. Or it might actually be a problem with perception, with how these kinds of disasters are reported, and that I'm not getting a clear picture. However, somehow, something's wrong here, and it seems like it's important to fix it.

    I'd be willing to bet that nobody in the company did anything specifically illegal in handling personal information, but that top management demanded results with low costs, basically excluding security, and the workers did what they could with the resources allocated.

    Well whether someone did something "specifically illegal" is very dependent on whether there's a law against it. If I leave a bomb in a school playground, whether that action is "specifically illegal" is a question as to whether there's a law against that, but that shouldn't stop us from asking whether it should be illegal. So part of what we're talking about here is not just whether the people at Ashley Madison have done something currently specifically illegal, but whether they did anything so reckless that it ought to be illegal.

    I don't particularly know the answer to that. I don't know all the details about how this leak happened, what the laws are, or what the laws should be. However, I do have a feeling that when something like this happens, there should be a government investigation that determines whether there was some wrongdoing that lead to the leak. And further, if there was wrongdoing by an individual, I don't think they should have some kind of individual punishment.

  348. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Cederic · · Score: 1

    I love your baive optimism. Hope it works out for you.

  349. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Munchr · · Score: 1

    Actually, the law is almost always on the storage facility's side. In general, the facility is not responsible for your items, assuming reasonable precautions are taken. You should carry your own insurance (through the facility or outside insurance), because the facility's own insurance may only be liable for the buildings themselves.
    As has been pointed out to me though, there apparently was little to no security for the Ashley-Madison breach, which is much like a storage facility with no fence, no secured access, and no provision for you to even attach your own lock to the door of your unit. I don't think any judge would absolve such a facility of responsibility for such a lack of security like they would for one that took reasonable precautions against theft.

  350. get your shit straight by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And why should it? For the sake of argument do you think the government should tell you that you MUST install a home security system,

    They take credit card data so yes they are REQUIRED to have security in place. So yes they MUST.

    Develop some NIST definitions for overall information security postures. If companies then want to claim they have a 'Double plus good can't hack me bro' rating there is a way to prove that

    Not only is their NIST standards already in place but also PCI/DSS standards they were suppose to follow.

    As bad as they got hacked they didn't follow these standards so yes the bastards should go to jail for being non-compliant. Somebody sweep their vulnerabilities under a rug and now they're screwed for not fixing these vulnerabilities before they were hacked.

    I pen test for a living you would be suprised at the lack of security I see in order to save a buck on a company's P&L statement. Especially WITH BANKS. The truth is your money is safer buried in the back yard.

  351. Re:Puritans are scum by hupasigas · · Score: 1

    Prostitution is the oldest and most universal human tradition. Puritanism has nothing to do with marital fidelity.

    Fixed that for you

  352. Re:Puritans are scum by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

    So someone who says, "I will not bake a cake for your wedding" is hurting a couple, when there are hundreds of other bakers who are more than willing to bake that cake?

    As for being forced out of business, you don't think there have been a few cases in the last couple years where that has happened? You can have your beliefs of marriage equality, but you still have to accept reality that people are losing their livelihoods over this issue.

    --
    If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
  353. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

    Yes, it does, rofl.

    As you simply don't know the difference between hacking and getting "infected" the learning experience is up to you :D

    If you want I give you my IP address and guest log in on my computer, then you can happy hack away to "own" it ... good luck.

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  354. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by brantondaveperson · · Score: 1

    This statement

    the owners of this company cannot escape any culpability here, no matter what the final story

    Is plainly unsupportable. The key part being no matter what the final story.

    The owners may be to blame, they may not. It would depend on what the final story is, wouldn't you say?

  355. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because infidelity, lying, and cheating should be protected by LAW, damn-it!

  356. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or perhaps that bit about all other powers remaining with the states and the people. So yeah, completely constitutional at a state level.

    On a side note -- it's pretty stupid to call these guys "Victims". They chose to do what they did -- being exposed does not make them a victim.

  357. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, no.

    They are holding their own stuff. Namely - their customer list. This list does not belong to the customer, the customer does not lose anything (other than anonymity in their deceit). This is neither personal property nor intellectual property. It's just sunlight being shone where they don't want it.

    So what was violated?
    Nothing.
    They had a privacy policy that stated they would not share your personal information.
    They didn't. It was stolen by an outside entity that has already demonstrated the ability to expose much more "secure" operations.

    They never held the property of the customers.
    The closest thing you could come to with that would be credit card information. But that's already protected by the credit card fraud dept.

    Nothing to see here, except a bunch of scumbags getting caught (quite literally) with their pants down. But sure, call them "victims".
    I'm sure they had no idea that they were actively cheating on their spouses.

  358. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by righteousness · · Score: 1

    Why don't we just instead make cheating on your marriage partner punishable by death.

    I agree 100% with your suggestion.

    --
    Don't fornicate. Seriously, just don't do it.
  359. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by DarkOx · · Score: 1

    And why do techbro libertarians really not take the time to think their statements through?

    Its perfectly thought thru. Biggest problem with the free market is the imbalance of information. If everyone had perfect information than we would need almost no regulation of the market place at all. We could all make great decisions all the time.

    So Yes as a "techbro libertarian" disclosure requirements are one of the few types of regulations I'd be willing to support.

    --
    Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
  360. People by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    Social Engineering. Stupidity. Lack of training. There are plenty of ways of making a system secure technically, but even if you do all that, it's the squishy parts that can throw a wrench into the gears. Lock everything down? Too much any it is impossible to do anything useful, and people will find was around it that open you up to risk. Heck look at Snowden and the CIA or Bradly with the Army... Give someone access who has believes they have sufficient cause, and no matter what you do, you can't protect against it. Who watches the watchers so to speak. Heck if your sysadmin was in there trying to fix some data issue, suddenly finds is wife's name in there... well he might have a change of heart about the kind of work he is doing and decide to do something rather rash...

  361. Inside Job by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    "Adequate data security stops all but the most skilled hackers."

    And if the person already has access... Say a sysadmin that randomly finds his wife's name in the DB, confronts her, has his life ruined...

    1. Re:Inside Job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Adequate data security means that you consider the possibility of inside jobs. The scenario you describe would also be a very, very risky move by a sysadmin since inside jobs can be detected and if a sysadmin confronts his wife with that information it would be a pretty clear reason to look at everything he has done. Furthermore, you shouldn't store sensitive data as plain text and measures should be in place to require that more than one sysadmin to access certain functions in the live system. And just because inside jobs cannot be completely prevented it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take proper measures stop hackers. Disgruntled employees can sabotage aircraft and that's not a reason not to have safety regulations.

  362. AC? by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    Erm,,,, You didn't exactly post as AC you realize...

  363. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >The world has changed. Women are no longer viewed as property.

    Perhaps women aren't. But men are. As very disposable property.

  364. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by circletimessquare · · Score: 1

    when you control the delicate personal details of millions of people, you are held to a standard far and above that of a corner deli manager managing shoplifting

    the owners are not going to get 0% blame, ever. you provide top notch security. or heads roll, period. it's not as deadly as a nuclear power plant, but that's more the direction you should be thinking in terms of security, way way above and beyond this "bad guys do bad things, oh well (shrug)" bullshit lack of proper accountability you are trying to push here for some retarded reason

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  365. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by Tom · · Score: 1

    AM is actually a good example.

    With the data analysis coming out now, it becomes clear that not the fact they couldn't keep customer data secret will damage them, but the fact that the data reveals their shady business strategy (for example that almost all the women profiles are fakes or inactives).

    Many companies have skeletons like that in the closet. You think Facebook or Twitter user numbers represent actual, active users? Of course not. If the true numbers were reliably exposed, their customers (advertisers) would not be willing to pay prices based on the inflated numbers anymore.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  366. Re:Puritans are scum by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    It's inconveniencing the couple, anyway, and it may be illegal. There are very good reasons why businesses don't have carte blanche to not serve people. (Also, cakes are not for weddings. They're for the parties afterwards. What religious problem would people have with a party?

    As far as people losing their livelihoods, a few idiots in government have gotten into trouble by disregarding their legal duties for religious reasons. In general, if you work for the government, you accept that you have to do things in accordance with the law, not with your conscience. It can suck, but the alternative is to have no effective government. For private parties, please provide examples. I don't have to believe that X exist just because you say there have to have been some X.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  367. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    If an executive ordered the dumping of poison into the ground water, and this came out, the executive could be prosecuted. However, they're very good at providing insufficient evidence for prosecution. If they order poison confinement systems, and don't budget enough for good ones, who's legally at fault when one leaks? (Gold mines are an example', as they tend to leave a log of cyanide on site.)

    With Ashley Madison, to convict an executive, we'd have to find something specifically illegal the executive did. If we're speculating on what the law should be, we'd have to figure out what sort of law we'd like in place, that would make it possible to convict the executive but not endanger people who were trying to follow the law. I don't have any good ideas for such laws.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  368. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by dbIII · · Score: 1

    My vast ignorance? Sorry kid but the obvious is obvious here. Not noticing the silly hugo political games as they are and not understanding the implications of your suggestion above indicate not being on this world for long.

  369. Re:Very sad - but let's get legislation in place N by RudyF · · Score: 1

    FaceBook is Stasi 2.0 - Stasi being the acronym for the former Eastern Geman "Staatssicherheit" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... // The smart thing with FaceBook is: you don't have to pressure people into telling who their friends are, who they meet, what they read, what they think, and so on. People provide the data by theselves.

  370. Responsible search engines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems like search engines should only provide very specific data to specific queries or general data (don't name names) in response to general queries. cheatmaps.com just returns the number of paid users on a given street, for example.