Netflix has new true crime series about data hack that exposed millions of cheating partners
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is out now
Netflix has just released a new documentary series about the hack of dating site, Ashley Madison. The wild true story happened in 2015, when millions of customers’ private data became public, subsequently exposing millions of cheaters.
Dating site Ashley Madison sold itself on the promise of “secrecy and discretion”, and when it launched in 2001 made it no secret that its purpose was for people to pick up extramarital affairs.
The Netflix documentary series tells the story of the most appallingly intimate internet leak of the modern age, and what happened when people’s darkest desires, shameful betrayals and sexual secrets were exposed for the whole world to see.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal on Netflix is all about a hack that exposed millions of cheaters
Ashley Madison was in short a dating app for cheaters. Its tagline was quite literally: “Life is short. Have an affair.” But this all came crashing down when hackers got into the site, and threatened to expose user data—including names, addresses and photos. They hackers said they would spill all unless Ashley Madison closed down, and when the site didn’t, the data breach began.
The Netflix synopsis reads: “When Ashley Madison, a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs, is hacked, millions of users’ intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives. This three episode documentary series from Minnow Films and director Toby Paton explores the creation of the website during the dot com boom, the people who used the site to explore a part of their love lives they felt was missing, and the hack that made it all come crashing down.”
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The three-episode docuseries features interviews with former Ashley Madison employees and couples whose marriages were destroyed. At the time of the hack, Ashley Madison is said to have had 37million users.
Watch the trailer for Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal on Netflix here
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
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