Hacking of the Ashley Madison cheating website that exposed the information of clients could have dangerous repercussions as is evident from the news that two people may have committed suicide post the hacking episode.
Meanwhile, police have revealed that Avid Life Media Inc., which is the holding company of the website, has offered a reward of C$500,000 or $379,132 for any information that will lead to catching the hackers.
As many as 37 million users’ private details have been compromised by the hack of the infidelity website. Worse the hack has led to extortion attempts and at least two confirmed suicides as per the information released by Toronto Police Acting Staff Superintendent, Bryce Evans told a news conference.
The hack has revealed e-mail addresses of US government officials, UK civil servants, the workforce of big Corporations in Europe and North America. The hack has once again brought deep-seated fears about internet security and data protection. Police have not given details about the suicides citing that they have received unconfirmed reports.
The social impact of this hack will be widespread. Everyone including families, their children, wives, male partners, live in partner, are going to be affected by this hack. The hack will impact the private lives of many with the possibility of a hate crime as a result of this. It is not fun and games as it has been portrayed.
The investigation has now broadened to include international law enforcement along with U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Canadian federal and provincial police are all chipping in to do their bit in the ever-widening investigation ambit.
Police also contend that the hacking has laid bare the claim of websites which claim to be able to protect Ashley Madison client’s data for a fee. Ashley Madison’s woes deepened when lawyers representing Canadians whose information was leaked slapped a class-action lawsuit seeking some $760 million in damages.
