The Ashley Madison Affair

Ashley Madison was a popular dating platform that attracted millions of users looking for adulterous relationships worldwide. However, in July 2015, employees at the Toronto headquarters were faced with an ultimatum: either shut down Ashley Madison immediately or release all customer records, profiles, sexual fantasies, real names, and addresses to hackers known as the "Impact Team." Despite a planned billion-dollar initial public offering (IPO), Ashley Madison's owners refused to comply. Thirty days later, in what proved disastrous for those who signed up with the site, the Impact Team executed their threat by releasing nearly 10 gigabytes of user details onto the dark web, resulting in various consequences including suicide and blackmail. The text has been rephrased for SEO purposes while maintaining its original meaning.