Ashley Madison leak spawns first divorce case
An unprecedented leak of 30GB of personal data relating to members of adultery website Ashley Madison has triggered the UK’s first directly related divorce case, according to reports in The Times.
Citing information from family law firm Mills & Reeve the paper reported that an unnamed woman had sought legal advice after discovering their partner’s details amidst the mass of leaked data.
Hackers calling themselves Impact Team published 10GB of names, email addresses and sexual fantasies of 37m members, 1.2m of whom are British, on Tuesday night. The group later followed this up with a further 20GB tranche of additional data last night.
Relationship counsellor Denise Knowles of Relate said of the leak: “Even if you haven’t been directly affected, the coverage may have prompted you to start questioning your own relationship.”
Another family law firm, Shoosmiths, revealed that it had been fielding three calls a day since the hackers first went public with their threats and expect that number to snowball now that the information is in the public domain.
Lawyers have warned that Ashley Madison owner Avid Life Media could be faced with a legal bill of £1bn or more in the UK alone if affected individuals claim compensation.