Ashley Madison: Everything you need to know

As Ashley Madison members' personal details are released on the Dark Web, here are all the dirty details on the online adultery site.

This article was originally published on 15th May, 2015, and has been republished after Ashley Madison was hacked, and members'
personal details were released on the Dark Web.

Ashley Madison hack: Live updates as 'UK Government email addresses' in data dumped online.

Ashley Madison. Is that some kind of shoe designer?
A sensible guess, but definitely wrong. Ashley Madison is a dating website aimed at people who are already
married. The service brands itself as “discreet”, and simply picked two popular American girls’ names as the company name.
Wait, so they’re a dating service for adultery? Isn’t that immoral?

The company motto is: “Life is short. Have an affair”. The website offers affair guidelines, with advice on how to cover your tracks.
So yes, it’s immoral.

In its defence, the company's chief executive Noel Biderman says that someone wouldn’t go to Ashley Madison unless they were already planning on having an affair.

The website simply means that they won’t cheat with a colleague or close friend. We should see the company as “a safe alternative,” he says.

What have Ashley Madison done now?
Nothing to do with broken hearts. Ashley Madison plans to float on the London Stock Exchange this year.
We don’t want such depraved companies here. Send them away.
This isn’t Singapore.

 In 2013, Ashley Madison had to abandon
launch plans there after it was met with staunch opposition. But the Canada-based company decided London was the best place for an IPO because of Europe’s relaxed approach towards infidelity.

I thought the English were prudes? Surely the French would be more interested.
Perhaps the figures will persuade you.

Ashley Madison made $115m (£77m) last year and is worth $1bn (£670m). The company aims to raise $200m (£135m) from an initial public offering, and will use the funds to expand internationally.

Surely there can’t be that much demand?

Think again. There are 1.2 million people signed up to Ashley Madison in the UK, which is equivalent to around five per cent of the UK’s married population.

It currently has 34 million members in 46 countries around the world, including South Africa, Japan and South Korea.

Ashley Madison is planning to launch in Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states later this Spring.

Sounds like the world’s worst kept secret.

How long has it been around?
Ashley Madison has been helping adulterers unite since 2001.

And how does it work? I’m asking for a friend.
It's free to search for potential partners, but users pay to send a message or virtual "gift" to other Ashley Madison members. The company makes sure that nothing incriminating comes up on your credit card bill.

Users' profiles explain what they’re looking for, which can be specific as, “bubble bath for two, gentleness, sensual massage”.

There are also far more explicit examples, which we won't mention here. Users also state whether they’re looking for a cyber affair, long-term relationship or short-term fling. Around 70 per cent of members are men – no surprise there.

Thanks for that. I’ll tell my friend.
You don’t have to be so po-faced about it. As Noel Biderman told
The Telegraph five years ago: “I can’t worry about people thinking I’m a ghoul, because I’m pretty sure that history will treat me differently. It’s 2010, people: time to redefine morality.”

The Exchange, Stetzer said the number is based on “conversations with leaders from several denominations in the U.S. and Canada,” adding, “To be honest, the number of pastors and church leaders on Ashley Madison is much lower than the number of those looking to have an affair.”

Along with being a contributing editor for CT, author and professor, Stetzer is the executive director of LifeWay Research, and a well-regarded expert on church leadership. He is also the executive editor of the Christian leadership publication Facts & Trends.

All that to say, Stetzer is well-informed, and his number is likely accurate. Former social conservative lobbyist and Christian reality TV star Josh Duggar and Christian vlogger Sam Rader recently released their own statements, acknowledging that they were both users of the site, which facilitates adultery.

By Olivia Goldhill