A few weeks ago, an online data breach caused by hackers potentially changed the lives of millions of people around the world. In a highly publicized incident, the hackers stole the names, emails, and other personal information of clients who had subscribed to the dating site Ashley Madison. They then published this information in a database that anyone could access. How might this data breach affect Colorado residents in regards to a divorce dispute? Ashley Madison is a site that caters to married people or people in a relationship who are interested in having an affair.
It comes as no surprise, then, that divorce may be imminent for countless couples. The incident has caused difficult emotions not only for those who found the names and email addresses of their significant others on the database but for subscribers to the site themselves. In some cases, people who thought they had removed themselves from the list found themselves still exposed.
One such person was a woman who had joined the site out of curiosity but decided to cancel her account without actually cheating on her husband of 10 years. She paid a fee to have her information deleted from Ashley Madison; however, she checked the database after the breach and found her information listed. She says that she lives in fear of her husband finding her name there and being hurt.
Another story was one that might be typical for the situation. A woman looked through the database and found her fiancé’s email listed. She confronted him about it and he denied it at first. Eventually, he told her he’d cheated on her multiple times. Heartbroken, she canceled her wedding plans.
The end of a marriage is never easy, but it can be especially devastating when someone finds out a spouse has been unfaithful. These two women’s stories give examples of what others may soon go through when evidence of a partner having subscribed to Ashley Madison is discovered on the hackers’ database.
Source: BBC News, "Ashley Madison: Two women explain how hack changed their lives," Chris Baraniuk, Aug. 27, 2015
Tags: Divorce
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