Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ashley Madison Parent in $11.2 Million Settlement Over Data Breach (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the Life-is-short,-have-a-settlement dept.

From a report: The owner of the Ashley Madison adultery website said on Friday it will pay $11.2 million to settle U.S. litigation brought on behalf of roughly 37 million users whose personal details were exposed in a July 2015 data breach. Ruby Corp, formerly known as Avid Life Media Inc, denied wrongdoing in agreeing to the preliminary class-action settlement, which requires approval by a federal judge in St. Louis. Ashley Madison marketed itself as a means to help people, primarily men, cheat on their spouses, and was known for its slogan "Life is short. Have an affair."

5 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. cheap by msauve · · Score: 5, Funny

    " $11.2 million to settle U.S. litigation brought on behalf of roughly 37 million users "

    Here's a quarter, kid. Go away.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  2. The real story: fake users. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The real con here is not a data breach, it is the fact that they systematically generated fake female accounts to lure in paying male customers. This is outright fraud and they get away with it.
     

    1. Re:The real story: fake users. by Tom · · Score: 2

      and, most of all, it harms the people directly involved.

      The cheater and his/her lover? Not sure if they agree that they are harmed.

      The subject is much more complex than the simple moralistic approach. There are many cases where affairs destroyed or seriously harmed relationships. There are many cases where it harmed relationships, but the damage could be repaired. There are also cases where affairs helped or even saved relationships, because through the affair finally some deep-seated issues came to light.

      There are also many, many people who divorced or split because of an affair and are happy for it, having moved on to a better life. Did they get harmed?

      I'm not a supporter of affairs. In general, you should be able to talk to your spouse and there are today enough open relationships, polyamorous and other models that allow everyone to find the approach to love and relationships that is right for them.

      I just don't like oversimplifications.

      --
      Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  3. Re:"Ashley Madison Settlement Fund" by c8663 · · Score: 2

    No, it will not be a $0.12 check. Your forgetting the lawyers cut. The check will be closer to $0.05.

  4. Re:"Ashley Madison Settlement Fund" by user+no.+590291 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Good point. And imagine the hilarity of the emails (or worse, snail mail) informing breach victims about the settlement. "Honey--what's this letter from Ashley Madison?"