Netflix is all set to bring the shocking yet sensational case of dating app Ashley Madison in the form of a docuseries. Slated to be released on May 15, 2024; Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal will be released on American OTT giant Netflix. Directed by Toby Paton, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is a three-part docuseries that revolves around the infamous dating app that was created for users looking to cheat on their partners. The official synopsis of the series says, "When Ashley Madison, a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs, is hacked, millions of users' intimate data is exposed, wrecking marriages and destroying lives. This three-episode documentary series from Minnow Films and director Toby Paton explores the creation of the website during the dot com boom, the people who used the site to explore a part of their love lives they felt was missing, and the hack that made it all come crashing down." It means the series is more likely to keep Ashley Madison's leaked data in focus. Now, the question arises what was Ashley Madison and what did Ashley Madison leaked data reveal about India?
What was Ashley Madison?
For those who are unaware, Ashley Madison is a Canadian dating service that was launched in 2002. Ashley Madison came to the spotlight for endorsing itself to married people who are looking for extra-marital affairs. Ashley Madison's tagline was "Life is short. Have an affair." While Ashley Madison was condemned for building a business by breaking hearts of people, ironically, it became a super hit concept worldwide. Furthermore, Ashley Madison was accused of not stopping users from creating fake accounts. Everything was going well when Ashley Madison's data leak controversy came to the fore in 2015. In Ashley Madison's data leak, the personal information of millions of users around the world was released to the public by hackers.
Now, the question arises what is India's connection with Ashley Madison?
In Ashley Madison's data leak, it was revealed that millions of Indians registered themselves on the extramarital affairs dating app. Based on Ashley Madison's leaked data, a report published in 2020 revealed that New Delhi was the adultery 'capital' of India with 38,652 users. Behind Delhi was Mumbai (33,036), followed by Chennai (16,434) and Kolkata (11,807).
While the website's users worldwide are mostly men, there are a substantial number of women subscribers in India, as shown by a geographical distribution map created by Spanish digital agency Tecnilógica.
Several state capitals have users in the thousands. As per the leaked data, Hyderabad has 12,825, Bengaluru 11,561, Ahmedabad 7,009, Chandigarh 2,918, Jaipur 5,045, Lucknow 3,885 and Patna 2,524. The data, hacked by a group called the Impact Team and published on the 'dark web', is said to include personal data - including credit card details, email addresses, and, in some cases, sexual preference - of 37 million users, most of them from western Europe and the United States.
Watch Trailer