CNET – Aug 20 – The revelation by Avid Life Media follows rumors that a vast amount of data on Ashley Madison customers had been leaked online. But it's been difficult to verify the legitimacy of that data. No credit card information has leaked.
by Lance Whitney
See full article at CNet News
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Aug 19 – The names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card details of ~37M users were revealed in a 9.7 gigabyte file dumped on the dark web. AshleyMadison has called the data breach 'an act of criminality' and the FBI is now investigating. The hackers, who called themselves the Impact Team, asked for AshleyMadison and Established Men to be taken offline which did not happen.
by Martin Robinson & Ellie Zolfagharifard
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk
Also read at WSJ, Reuters, NY Times, Washinton Post, Time, The Guardian, Wired…
TIMES OF INDIA – Aug 6 – Within four days of banning 857 websites deemed to be pornographic, the government reversed the order on Tuesday, making an exception only for sites engaged in child pornography.
by Pankaj Doval
See full article at Times of India
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK – Aug 3 – India appears to have banned porn, ordering Internet companies to turn off access to adult sites, dating sites and pornographic blogs. The list of the 857 banned sites includes Adult Friend Finder.
by Andrew Griffin
See full article at Independent.co.uk
NY TIMES – July 27 – Brandon Wade started a new controversial dating site for cheaters. It is called OpenMinded.com and it is for couples who have no problem being unfaithful, and be open about it. “Monogamy is not working for the majority of us,” said Mr. Wade. "There is a growing movement of people who are able to be honest with their mate that the traditional model isn’t working.” His site claims 150K users with more than half of the members identifying as couples who are in open relationships.
by Katherine Rosman
See full article at NY Times
MARKETWATCH / WSJ – July 20 – Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, wanted to raise $200M in an IPO. A recent data breach may hurt the site’s chances of launching a successful IPO anytime soon. "They've hinged their entire existence on privacy," says Mark Brooks, a dating-industry analyst and the editor of Online Personals Watch. "It's definitely going to affect their IPO plans. It’s going to reduce the value of this company. They're going to see their conversion rates hit, their attention rates hit, and see some people leave. People prize their privacy on online dating sites. This is compounded 1,000 times on AshleyMadison.com over a typical dating site." Other dating site companies with IPO ambitions such as The Match Group, will be doubling down on their security measures, he adds. Ashley Madison said it has now secured the site, called the hack an act of "cyberterrorism" and apologized to its users.
AshleyMadison launched in 2001. "It has helped move adulterers from traditional dating sites", Brooks says. "It's done a good job of cleaning up other sites," he says. Another thing that can affect the IPO are complaints about fake profiles on the site. Ashley Madison has little direct competition. "The entire business is built on the premise that few will follow," Brooks says. "It's simultaneously brilliant and despicable. It gets people talking, which is also good for business."
Biderman acknowledges that there are a lot of hurdles to overcome before an IPO. He says he loves being the CEO of a private company. Brooks says, the site will be working hard to restore confidence in the site among users and potential investors. "They'll also work on search engine optimization over the next six to 12 months to make sure that other more positive stories about Ashley Madison appear when you Google the site," he says. "There’s plenty that can be done. If someone is prepared to spend big money, they can have a story almost disappear by producing more interesting content."
by Quentin Fottrell
See full article at Marketwatch
FINANCIAL POST – July 21 – A group of hackers gained access to Ashley Madison's data. This is the second time in two months a prominent dating site has been compromised. In May, hackers leaked info about users of Adult Friend Finder. The married people seeking affairs may be more interested in discretion than the average online dating user, but the hack exposes a vulnerability in the growing industry. Mark Brooks, principal consultant at the online dating industry advisory firm Courtland Brooks, said he would be surprised if Avid Life goes ahead with its IPO on schedule following the attack. "Their key value is privacy. They've failed at a key value," Brooks said. "Their IPO is definitely going to be affected. I can't imagine they'll proceed with it. They're not going to achieve full market valuation."
by Claire Brownell
See full article at Financial Post
STANDARD.CO.UK – July 21 – Dating-industry analyst, and editor of Online Personals Watch, Mark Brooks said: "They've hinged their entire existence on privacy. It's definitely going to affect their IPO plans. It's going to reduce the value of this company. People prize their privacy on online dating sites. This is compounded 1,000 times on AshleyMadison.com over a typical dating site."
by Jonathan Prynn
See full article at Standard.co.uk
GIZMODO – July 20 – A hacker group going by the name "The Impact Team" is demanding Ashley Madison to shut down otherwise they are going to expose all of its members. They have already posted a small sample of sensitive data (since taken offline) stolen from Avid Life Media, the company that owns AshleyMadison, along with other hookup sites Cougar Life and Established Men. CEO Noel Biderman confirmed the hack, and said the company was working hard to have the data taken down.
by Chris Mills
See full article at Gizmondo
BUSINESS INSIDER – July 4 - Ashley Madison revealed that it could abandon its London IPO, which was estimated to raise £135M ($200M) because it has potentially found a "better option." "We don't want to rush and make a mistake, but we are looking to commit to a decision around August," said Noel Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media which owns Ashley Madison.
by Lianna Brinded
See full article at Business Insider