‘The Ashley Madison Affair’ is a three-part docuseries that tells the indepth story of the rise and fall of Ashley Madison, the dating website for married people who want to cheat. The series explores the company’s controversial marketing, its data breach in 2015, and the fallout that followed.
Ashley Madison Agency was founded in 2001. The company grew quicky, marketing the slogan “Life is short. Have an affair”. By 2014 it had over 36 million members worldwide and announced plans for an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, valuing the company at $1bn.
In an attempt to destroy the company a group calling themselves the ‘Impact Team’ hacked Ashley Madison Agency in 2015. The hackers released the personal data of millions of Ashley Madison users, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, and sexual preferences. They also released personal data about Ashley Madison CEO – Noel Biderman and the company’s unethical money making practises. The consequences of the data breach were devastating and widespread leading to the public shaming and extortion of many Ashley Madison users, break up of marriages, relationships and families, at least two suicides and the resignation of Biderman as company CEO.
“A fascinating and well-made look at a company that was built on deception” – The Hollywood Reporter