Forums / Discussion / Serious Debate

I am of the opinion that publicly releasing data is a bad thing. So I found it unpleasant how few people were talking about that aspect of the leak and how much the media was focusing on how x or y was on the list. I might remind you that a large portion of accounts on there were fake and of the real ones only 90-95% were male (also bear in mind that very very few males on average identify as homosexual).

So is having an account on a spousal cheating site but not acting upon it forgivable? Do we not have fantasies we never act on?
So would you call it a witch hunt? Is the media just in their spotlight of individuals on the list?
Was the leak justifiable? Can it justify the suicides that have resulted from it?

I can't form an answer to any of these so I thought I'd pitch it here and see what people say.

Yes, it's a witch hunt, no, the media is not justified in cherry-picking registered users nor are the hackers themselves for the initial leaks.

As far as we know, the hackers are only doing this because the company who owns AM is "profiting off the lies and pain of others", in their words. They say they want to attack all websites that do this, not just dating/cheating sites. Their goal is to have users sue the corporate company into bankruptcy for promising to keep personal information secure and protected but allowing it to be easily hacked, which is exactly what is happening.

Some seriously self-righteous lunatics imo.

Every Ashley Madison user deserves what they got.

I'm sorry, but nobody deserves to have highly personal and private information given away without consent. Condoning actions like this is just despicable.

Compared to a lot of punishments enforced by law, releasing an email to the public is a really mild punishment. Look if some activity like stalking people is illegal, why not adultery? It really doesn't make sense why it is legal across most nations. A person will get rightfully angry when their spouse cheats on them. Why is adultery legal?The only country I know that illegalise adultery is Saudi Arabia, they get panned for "human rights violations".

Although I am of the same opinion as many others than a person should not be cheating on their significant other, I don't condone the mass releasing of private information like this in the slightest. Maybe a person can think that the users of the site deserve this, but that doesn't take away the fact that this is a gross breach of privacy that we wouldn't condone in other situations or when it happened to other people (for example: The Playstation Network hack). The victims don't always justify the means.

As for the topic: Internet nerds and GG supporters are using the hack as a bad excuse to search for and slander the people they have beef with. If that's not a witchhunt, I don't know what is. I don't condone the actions of the supporters and participants of this in the slightest.

There you go again, citing one post from /gamergatehq/ and acting like the whole board was jumping on it.

This implies 2 things:
1. I've done this before. Please link me to this because I certainly haven't done it before (likewise I'm not doing it here, but your opinion seems to differ on that).
2. I lack the braincells to understand that a part of a group condoning such acts doesn't mean that the entire group condones it.

But hey man, why consider discussing it when you can just slander me amirite?

1. I’ve done this before.

Fair enough. However, you did use the exact same images Rikameme had when they made the accusation, so it seems my brain made the connection by accident.

2. I lack the braincells to understand that the part of a group condoning such acts doesn’t mean that the entire group condones it.

It seems odd that you only meant to attack the two users you posted about when your accusation was against "Internet nerds and GG supporters". Would you use that phrase to describe the five or so people on the board who actually approved of digging through the leaked content? I find that hard to believe.

It seems odd that you only meant to attack the two users you posted about when your accusation was against “Internet nerds and GG supporters”.

I could've added "certain" to make the line "certain internet nerds and GG supporters", but I figured people would understand that I wasn't talking about the group entirely as that would be stupid. Seems I was wrong.

Would you use that phrase to describe the five or so people on the board who actually approved of digging through the leaked content? I find that hard to believe.

Would you imply that out of the thousands of self-acclaimed "Anti-SJWs" and other posters on that board, only a bare maximum of 5 would condone or support such acts? I find that hard to believe.

I might've explained my point in a wrong way, but are you really going to try to downplay those screencaps with that defense?

Regardless, we're steering away from the topic. If you wish to continue, either go to my wall or send me a PM. I won't continue this discussion on this thread anymore.

Adultery actually is illegal in 21 states and a felony in five.

As per your question, it's because adultery is sometimes consensual between both spouses -- a threesome would be considered adultery, as well as an open marriage. Even with non-consenting adultery, it wouldn't make much sense for it to be a criminal offense. It's the equivalent of criminalizing lying.

The adultery I refer to is sex outside of marriage. So, it is really not illegal in the United States. Only some parts of adultery is.

Cheating is bad, but so is the release of personal information.

Read my second thread post.

Maybe he did and just doesn't agree with it. I certainly don't. It's questionable why something like adultery should be illegal, and just because you think it should be illegal doesn't mean we should be internet vigilantes about it and meddle in the personal lives of hundreds of thousands of people. You want it to be illegal? Good on you, bring it up with your local congressman, start petitions, try doing something that will actually help in making it illegal. Targeting and hacking a site that's a hangout for cheaters isn't going to get a law against adultery passed, and it's just going to make the hackers criminals.

Wow man great addition to the thread. /sarcasm

Are you implying that the hacking and releasing of private and personal info should be considered legal when the victims are people like this? As unlike of the forms of adultry you're talking about, hacking actually is illegal by law as a computer crime.

Your entire point of wanting to make adultry illegal and punishable by law completely loses all its value as you seem to condone and support other illegal activities that actually are punishable by law.

Divorce attorneys are gonna benefit the most out of this.

Personally I think both Ashley Madison and the hackers are both fucked up.

In somewhat conflicted. On one hand, it's not at all ok to back into something an release personal information, on the other hand, the people on the site took the risk of attaching their personal information to something dedicated to cheating. They made their beds, now they must lie in them.
Cheating isn't only morally reprehensible, but you could spread an std to your unwitting spouse. I can't say I feel sorry for those caught in the leak.

Legislating morals, really, that's what this thread turned into?

They've got a great version of moral legislation in the middle east called Sharia, adultery is worth 100 "moderate intensity" lashes there. Kindly relocate yourself if that's the kind of culture you're looking for.

If that's a response to me, I don't think it's wrong to say that I don't feel sorry for cheaters that get caught. That doesn't mean I in a way agree with sharia law, and to insinuate I do is ridiculous, even as hyperbole.

I would say the same thing about a drunk person who starts a fight and gets a broken arm. Hey, that sucks and that person was in the wrong as well, but don't be a drunken moron.

It's not about legality, just where I choose to place my sympathy.