Website Promoting Affairs Drops Controversial Fee

Hackers who stole data from a website promoting extra-marital affairs say they did so to promote misleading claims. The Ashley Madison site has responded by dropping a controversial fee to delete user accounts.

The site openly promotes itself as appealing to people who want to arrange dates online where at least one party is already in a relationship. Not surprisingly, that setup brings added interest in keeping client details confidential.

Earlier this week attackers claimed to have breached security and got access to the records of a supposed 33 million members around the world. They've already published some details from 2,500 member records. Security experts suggest the hacking was extremely sophisticated and may have taken months to plan and carry out.

The hackers, who use the name Impact Team, have said the leaking of data is intended to draw attention to "cheating dirtbags."

Users Charged To Delete Accounts

The incident has drawn attention to the way the site charges $15 (and more in some foreign countries) to delete an account, rather than merely deactivate it. The site's management says the fee covers the removal not just of the account, but of all images and messages sent to other users.

However, the hackers say that one of the records they discovered and released was of a member who'd used the paid delete option, suggesting the data hadn't actually been removed. While it hasn't publicly commented on this specific claim, Ashley Madison has now dropped the fee and will let users delete their data without charge.

Credit Card Laws May Hamper Deletion

There's now some debate about whether a company really can promise to completely delete data. One argument is that it's impossible to do so as financial regulations in some countries mean companies which collect credit card details must hold on to the data for up to seven years. In turn, those details can be used to identify an individual. (Source: cbc.ca)

It's also possible any users who have had their identity revealed in the attacks might take legal action, particularly with some dispute about claims the site made over the nature and extent of the attack. However, such users may be wary about drawing further attention to their membership of the site. (Source: theguardian.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Does the nature of the Ashley Madison site change the level of privacy users should expect? Is it reasonable to charge a fee to fully delete an account, even assuming that's possible? Can hacking a site and exposing security flaws ever be justified?