The problems of Ashley Madison seem to be far from over as the leaks are spawning more problems for the company and for the 32 million people believed to be registered to the infidelity site. Owned by Toronto-based Avid Life Media, Ashley Madison sells itself online as a go-to virtual meeting place for married men and women who want to have extra-marital affairs.
Acting Staff Superintendent Bryce Evans of Toronto Police said they are now investigating possible extortion linked to the leaked data from Ashley Madison. The Toronto Police Twitter account also claims that there are now hate crimes resulting from the Ashley Madison hack.
Seen as "one of the largest data breaches in the world," the security breach "already sparked spin-off crimes and victimizations," said Evans during a news conference held Monday in Toronto, as quoted by Business Insider.
This is believed to be just the start as the information dump from the site's database includes millions of payment details and credit card transactions going back to 2008. There are also names, addresses, sexual preferences, and email accounts which can be used by others for extortion.
The scandal is already prompting known personalities to admit their connection with the site. Reality star Josh Duggar issued a statement four days ago which is believed to be related to the recent security breach at Ashley Madison. Duggar is joined by Jeff Ashton, a State Attorney in Florida, as another high-profile personality who is linked to the infidelity site. Known to be one of the lawyers in the murder prosecution of Casey Anthony, Ashton announced in a news conference that he will be resigning his post. Duggar and Ashton are proof of the potential long-term social repercussions of the leaks.
Even with Avid Life Media's attempt to go after the hackers by offering a $500,000 reward for information on the identities behind the leak, it is still not enough to curb the growing problem linked to the site's security breach.
IBTimes reported that a police captain committed suicide after his email was linked to the Ashley Madison website, although it remains unclear if his death was prompted by the leak. Captain Michael Gorhum was a 25-year veteran at the San Antonio Police Department. His death is now one of the three suicides reportedly linked to the Ashley Madison information leak. There is a huge possibility that these suicides will not be the last.
