321–330 of 527 posts
This is unfortunate, but was easily avoidable. If you sign up for a site like this, take reasonable precautions. This means an alternate email account (and obviously a fake name.) If you actually subscribe, use a prepaid debit card ("gift card") not directly linked to your actual name or bank account.
The response to this this on Twitter would be beyond fucked- up if it weren't so completely predictable. People are posting direct links to the dump, screenshots of lists of emails, and statistics for classes of domains. The general reaction to the availability of the dump is reasonably characterized as "glee". But no matter what you think about Ashley Madison --- and I think A.M. is so comically scummy that I had tr…
The cheaters deserve to be outed. Fuck 'em, let the world know their word is worthless. And as to the question as to whether they're actually cheating or not, let's be honest here - precisely nobody signed up for a site who's advertising and stated reason for existing is explicitly about sneaking around behind your spouse's back, without the intent to be sneaking around behind your spouse's back.
And comparing outing cheaters to terrorists, seriously?
That said, it doesn't mean that they deserve to have their identities stolen. More acceptable would have been names and emails without all the credit card and other personally identifying info.
It's just a toxic, evil, repulsive scene.
You know what's toxic, evil, and repulsive? Entering into a committed relationship with one person, and rather than being an adult and breaking it off if it's not working, sneaking around behind their backs while leading them around as if you're remaining faithful. As far as I'm concerned, cheating is near the top of the list of horrible things you can do to another human being.
I fully expect this sentiment to be a barely-visible shade of "disagreed with the rest of the site light grey" by the end of the day.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think there's enough moralizing dripping from Impact Team's preamble to the release to support Thomas' suggestion. "We have explained the fraud, deceit, and stupidity of ALM and their members ." "Chances are your man signed up on the world's biggest affair site, but never had one. He just tried to. If that distinction matters." "Find yourself in here? It was ALM that failed you and lied to you. Prosecute them and c…
These are the quotes you're using to suggest that Impact Team's intent was targeted against the guilty marriage infidels? I don't know if I agree that those are reasonable enough quotes to ascertain that was their true intent. This sounds like the real intent, "The Impact Team said it decided to publish the information in response to alleged lies ALM told its customers about a service that allows members to completel…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pictures don't hurt anyone (except sometimes in the libel/slander sense). But don't stolen credit cards get traded online? Or other impersonation / "identity theft" information? Maybe a marketplace for one of those would be a good example. . The trick is probably making sure that "something that we all agree is wrong" matches with things that actually harm people who didn't freely agree to it. Things like murder, coe…
Infidelity harms some, unless we aren't counting emotional harm.
Whatever you do, someone will find it offensive or harmful to them, for some definition of "harmful" -- even the way you dress, or the music you listen to, or the books you read, or who you have sex with. This isn't a good enough reason to humiliate you in public.
I'd say you cannot compare infidelity with things like murder, extortion, or someone in public office engaging in corruption or grossly misleading the public. Those things do need exposing.
This is unfortunate, but was easily avoidable. If you sign up for a site like this, take reasonable precautions. This means an alternate email account (and obviously a fake name.) If you actually subscribe, use a prepaid debit card ("gift card") not directly linked to your actual name or bank account.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, I should have prefaced that whole argument with "advanced societies." It's very hard to argue these points when you have e.g. the middle east getting in the way of rational and humane thought processes. In places like that you really have no choice or autonomy and arguments such as my original one simply hold no ground.
You can't objectively label different cultures as not being advanced just because they're different. There could well be good reasons for enforcing monogamy on people that your society disregards. I'm just guessing here, but maybe no monogamy may end up with a lot of people suffering the natural human emotion of jealousy and perhaps something like most women queuing up to be with the most attractive men, leaving the…
When that culture normalizes things like throwing acid at rape victims and violent mass retribution for violation of religious laws, well, yes, I can and will label that culture as being backwards and primitive.
The response to this this on Twitter would be beyond fucked- up if it weren't so completely predictable. People are posting direct links to the dump, screenshots of lists of emails, and statistics for classes of domains. The general reaction to the availability of the dump is reasonably characterized as "glee". But no matter what you think about Ashley Madison --- and I think A.M. is so comically scummy that I had tr…
I'm a lot more worried about the identity theft implications of the leak than the "this will destroy the relationships of cheaters" implications. The cheaters deserve to be outed. Fuck 'em, let the world know their word is worthless. And as to the question as to whether they're actually cheating or not, let's be honest here - precisely nobody signed up for a site who's advertising and stated reason for existing is ex…
You are assuming guilt when, frankly, there is no real evidence the list isn't peppered with targets selected by the hackers in addition to the people who actually used the site. It also the only way to make money off such a list if Ashley Madison didn't pay up [e.g. Give us $X and we'll add your political enemies to the list]
Tptacek is correct. This list is, literally, a weapon and could be employed by an actor to attack someone [although no violence would be required].
Honestly, I'm seriously concerned anyone be naive enough to take the list at face value when its clear the hackers had a financial motive to be dishonest. [e.g. Attempting to blackmail AshleyMadison for money.]
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a great comment, Thomas. I had an argument with my girlfriend about this. No matter what reasoning I used, no matter what I said, she could not agree that it was wrong that Ashley Madison (A.M.) was hacked. Her position was that marital infidelity is such a pubishable offense that the participants on A.M. deserve to be publicly outed. In her view, it was not even up for debate. She felt so powerfully about in…
It's like, you know who has a stronger opinion about wrongdoing than people who dislike infidelity? The people who picket abortion clinics. Also: there's a neat parallel to the NSA here, in that a substantial portion of the users registered for A.M. probably haven't been unfaithful, and are getting "dragnetted" up with the people who have, because who's going to take the time to sort that out?
The response to this this on Twitter would be beyond fucked- up if it weren't so completely predictable. People are posting direct links to the dump, screenshots of lists of emails, and statistics for classes of domains. The general reaction to the availability of the dump is reasonably characterized as "glee". But no matter what you think about Ashley Madison --- and I think A.M. is so comically scummy that I had tr…
I'm a lot more worried about the identity theft implications of the leak than the "this will destroy the relationships of cheaters" implications. The cheaters deserve to be outed. Fuck 'em, let the world know their word is worthless. And as to the question as to whether they're actually cheating or not, let's be honest here - precisely nobody signed up for a site who's advertising and stated reason for existing is ex…