Ashley Madison
Summary
Ashley Madison is an online dating service that markets to people who are married or in a relationship. The website can be accessed through any browser.
Breach History
Has there ever been a breach or data leak?
Date of last breach
May 2015
Ashley Madison was the target of a major data breach in 2015, which exposed data from its users such as usernames, passwords, home and email addresses, height, weight, sexual fantasies, the last four digits of credit card numbers, IP addresses, and more.
Privacy Checklist
Is any kind of biometric data collected (health, heart, voice, etc.)?
Are you able to delete your data / the data collected about you?
Does it use cookies, telemetry, or third-party tracking scripts?
Is the privacy policy user-friendly (easy to understand)?
Does it have parental controls?
Does it use encryption to protect your data both in-transit and at-rest?
Does it get regular software and / or firmware updates?
Does it require you to create a strong password?
Is there a system in place for managing security vulnerabilities?
Does it have a privacy policy?
How Can It Snoop?
Does it have a camera or request / require access to a camera?
Does it have a microphone or request / require access to a microphone?
Does it track your location or request / require access to location data?
Account Requirements
Does it require an email address to use?
Does it require a phone number to use?
Does it require an address (home or office) to use?
Payment Options
Are you able to use a credit card as a payment option?
Are you able to use a cryptocurrency as a payment option?
Are you able to use PayPal as a payment option?
Are you able to use cash or gift cards as a payment option?
What Could Go Wrong?
Ashley Madison shares information such as your name, email address, location, and preferences with third party marketing and advertising agencies in order to target you with ads. The website was also the target of a major data breach in 2015, which exposed extremely private data from its users. Be extremely cautious should you choose to use this website.
How Does It Share Your Data?
Ashley Madison shares personal data with third party advertisers and marketing agencies in order to target its users with ads.
Good Things
- No real pros.
Bad Things
- Serious privacy and security concerns.
Final Thoughts
Ashley Madison does not appear to place its users' privacy in very high regard. It shares your personal information with third party advertisers and marketing agencies, and was the target of a major data breach in 2015. Along with that, Ashley Madison's website is still not encrypted, which shows that the company has not taken any steps to improve the security of their service following the breach. Be extremely cautious of what information you provide this website with if you use it at all.