Ashley Madison's hack list exposed the personal information of approximately 37 million users when it was released in August 2015. Unmasking cheating spouses and breaking up relationships along the way, personal details revealed in the Ashley Madison data breach included email addresses, photos, messages, credit card details and even sexual fantasies. AKA, a lot of information you definitely don't want out in the open.
The new Netflix documentary Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal looks back on the data breach and huge scandal surrounding the site. While the team behind Ashley Madison had promised “complete discretion” to their customers, clearly they weren't able to deliver on this front following the hack by The Impact Team.
Despite this, you may be surprised to learn that the site is still very much a thing today, with the infamous service boasting over 70 million users to date.
Intrigued? Here's everything we know about the 2015 Ashley Madison list and who was on it.
What is the Ashley Madison list?
The Ashley Madison data breach led to the details of 37 million users being released in three separate data dumps over August 2015.
Though information was initially released on the dark web, data quickly became readily accessible, with celebrities, public figures and non-famous account holders all being among thsoe exposed. It didn't take long for internet sleuths to collate lists, with many sifting through the data to pull out the names of people they recognised.
Hackers also went on to specifically target the company's CEO at the time, Noel Biderman. In addition to the Ashley Madison list, The Impact Team went on to post Biderman's personal emails which appeared to revealed his own multiple affairs, sharply contradicting his prior claims of being in a monogamous marriage. He continues to deny any affairs in the Netflix show.
Who is on the Ashley Madison list?
The names of several celebrities and high-profile public figures appeared on the Ashley Madison list, including everyone from politicians to reality TV stars to millions of other non-famous people.
Among those covered in the Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies and Scandal Netflix documentary is Sam Rader, a YouTuber who found himself caught up in the scandal when it emerged that he had created an account on Ashley Madison.
Ultimately, Sam and his wife Nia made the decision to stay together and still have joint YouTube and Instagram accounts where they share their life with their children.
Equally, however, the documentary also shares a tragic look into the story of a professor and religious minister who took his own life after he lost his job following the data breach.
Can you still find the Ashley Madison list?
Almost a decade after the Ashley Madison hack list was released, the data is still very much accessible online.
Though originally posted on the dark web, a number of publishers have since named celebrities and well-known public figures and politicians impacted by the scandal. As mentioned, Ashley Madison itself is still operating, and even still features the tagline “Life is short. Have an affair."
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is available to watch on Netflix now.
Sam's name was among those exposed in the Ashley Madison hack.
