Dating & Social Platforms

Ashley Madison

Ashley Madison is an online dating platform specifically designed for people in relationships seeking extramarital affairs and casual sexual encounters. Launched in 2002, it carved out a niche in the…

Founded 2001 · 25 years on market

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About Ashley Madison

Ashley Madison is an online dating platform specifically designed for people in relationships seeking extramarital affairs and casual sexual encounters. Launched in 2002, it carved out a niche in the digital intimacy space by openly marketing to married individuals looking for discreet connections outside their primary relationships. The platform sits at the intersection of dating technology and sexual wellness, facilitating adult encounters through features designed for anonymity and discretion. The company gained worldwide notoriety in 2015 when it suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of users. As we covered in our analysis of the settlement, the hack had significant consequences including lawsuits, executive resignations, and lasting reputational damage. The incident became one of the most high-profile examples of privacy vulnerabilities in adult-oriented digital services. Despite the breach, Ashley Madison has continued operating and reportedly maintains around 75 million members across 52 countries, though questions have been raised about user authenticity. The platform represents a controversial but significant segment of the intimacy tech landscape—one that addresses extramarital sexuality through digital means while raising important questions about privacy, consent, and relationship ethics in connected sexual experiences.
Occasional coverageFirst covered
8 articles 2016–2026 Peak: 2019 (2)

Ashley Madison

69%

This privacy assessment is automated and editorial information only, not legal or compliance advice. Scores age over time as brands update their practices.

SEXTECHGUIDE may earn commissions from some brands it assesses. Scores are generated by an automated methodology and are not influenced by commercial relationships.

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Privacy deep-dive

In summary

In our assessment, Ashley Madison's reviewed policy text (Privacy Policy effective November 13, 2025; Terms last updated January 20, 2025) appears to provide above-average transparency and user control mechanisms for an adult platform, with structured disclosures, pseudonymity support, and explicit consent frameworks for sensitive data categories. However, the policy text raises notable concerns around broad third-party advertising data flows, vague general retention language, and sweeping liability waivers that in our view materially limit user recourse. Unverified

  • No data sales stated — explicit 'we do not sell your Personal Data' declaration found
  • Explicit consent mechanism described for sensitive data (sexual orientation, health, ethnicity)
  • Hide Profile and photo-blurring tools referenced for discretion
  • DPO/Chief Privacy Officer contact provided with dedicated email
  • GDPR rights (access, erasure, portability, restriction, objection) described for EEA/UK residents

Assessed from an archived copy (January 4, 2026) via the Internet Archive — the live policy page was unavailable from our scanner. View snapshot

Our editorial assessment of Ashley Madison’s published policy — an opinion based on the policy text we reviewed, not legal advice or a compliance determination. Spot something wrong? Request a correction

Privacy Concerns

  • High Class action waiver and trial waiver impose significant procedural restrictions on user legal recourse, with limited exceptions by jurisdiction
  • Medium Third-party ad networks receive behavioral and demographic data for targeted advertising, with no named vendors in the policy text and limited member opt-out detailUnverified
  • Medium Liability waiver explicitly names infidelity-related reputational and relational harm as excluded damages, placing full risk on users for foreseeable consequences of platform useUnverified
  • Medium General data retention relies heavily on vague 'statute of limitations' language without specifying concrete periods for most personal data categories
  • Medium Phone number shared with third-party 2FA vendor with no named vendor in policy text; deletion from vendor's systems requires separate user action not facilitated by Ashley Madison

Privacy Positives

  • High Impact Explicit, prominent 'we will never sell your personal data to third parties' commitment stated at the top of the Privacy Policy
  • High Impact Pseudonymous account design encouraged by policy text, with tools including photo blurring, Hide Profile feature, and username rather than real name display
  • High Impact Express consent required for sensitive personal data categories (sexual orientation, body/health data, ethnicity) at signup and upon policy updates
  • Medium Impact Dedicated DPO/Chief Privacy Officer with named contact email and physical addresses for both Canadian and international residents
  • Medium Impact Concrete retention periods stated for specific data types: 12-month inactivity deletion, 6-month post-deletion purchase data, 90-day phone metadata retention

Security Overview

70% Security

Security Headers

HTTPS Secure connection
Pass
HSTS HTTP Strict Transport Security
Pass
CSP Content Security Policy
Fail
X-Frame-Options Clickjacking protection
Pass
X-Content-Type MIME type sniffing protection
Pass
Referrer-Policy Controls referrer information
Fail
Permissions-Policy Browser feature controls
Fail
Mozilla Observatory Grade: B Scanned: June 30, 2026

Data Breach History: Ashley Madison

1 breach recorded
Critical

AshleyMadison

In July 2015, the infidelity website Ashley Madison suffered a serious data breach. The attackers threatened Ashley Madison with the full disclosure of the breach unless the service was shut down. One month later, the database was dumped including more than 30M unique email addresses. This breach has been classed as “sensitive” and is not publicly searchable, although individuals may discover if they’ve been impacted by registering for notifications. Read about this approach in detail.
Records Affected: 30,811,934
Breach data synced: June 26, 2026 · Checked: June 30, 2026 · Source: haveibeenpwned.com (HIBP) + local cache

From Their Privacy Policy

Direct excerpts from Ashley Madison's published privacy policyVerified June 30, 2026

We are firmly committed to your privacy, as further detailed in this policy ('Privacy Policy'). We are committed to the protection of your personal data and the transparency of our privacy practices.

Opening commitment statement in the Privacy Policy About Us section

to deliver targeted advertising and promotional offers to you from our sister/affiliate companies and/or external companies that are of the highest relevance to your demographic profile

Listed purpose for data use under 'How Do We Use Your Information' — describes advertising use of member data

You are encouraged to create a pseudonymous profile and are not required to include data in your profile that would allow you to be directly identified. If you want to remain anonymous to the general public, please be careful about what you choose to share, especially if you upload photographs, and do not choose a username which could allow you to be identified easily.

Privacy guidance provided to members during profile creation

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