Ashley Madison, the infamous cheating website, is the focus of a new Netflix docuseries titled Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal. The series delves into the events surrounding the 2015 hack of the website, which resulted in the personal data of millions of customers being made public. The site, which marketed itself on the promise of secrecy and discretion, was a popular destination for extramarital affairs when it first launched in 2001.
Featuring interviews with former Ashley Madison employees and couples whose marriages were destroyed by the hack, the docuseries sheds light on the aftermath of the data breach. Hackers breached the site and threatened to expose the personal information of its users, including names, addresses, and photos, unless Ashley Madison shut down. When the site refused, the hackers began releasing the data, leading to widespread chaos and devastation among its users.
At the time of the hack, Ashley Madison boasted 37 million users, making it one of the largest platforms for extramarital affairs. The documentary also examines the site’s security measures before the hack, featuring interviews with former CEO Noel Biderman and other key executives. Despite the breach and the exposure of customer data, Ashley Madison continues to operate as a dating site for extramarital affairs, still using its trademarked tagline, “Life is short. Have an affair.”
The docuseries offers a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of Ashley Madison and the events leading up to the devastating hack. Former executives provide insight into the site’s practices and policies, revealing that the promise of security and anonymity was not always upheld. The series also explores the impact of the hack on the lives of its users, many of whom had their personal information exposed and their marriages destroyed as a result.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is not the first documentary to explore the events surrounding the Ashley Madison hack. Hulu released a similar documentary titled The Ashley Madison Affair in July 2023. The new Netflix series, however, promises to offer a fresh perspective on the scandal, featuring interviews with key players and providing a comprehensive overview of the events that unfolded in the aftermath of the hack. The docuseries is set to premiere on Netflix on Tuesday, offering viewers an in-depth look at the sex, lies, and scandal that rocked the world of online dating.
