Ashley Madison, a dating app well known for its controversial uses, allegedly has millions of users looking for one thing: to have an affair. Netflix recently released a docuseries titled “Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal.” Here, we receive an inside view of what happens at Ashley Madison HQ and what lives its users are living.
The Controversy
We begin with meeting Evan Back and other former employees of Ashley Madison. Back tells us how he was a business marketer for Ashley Madison and worked closely with its founder, Noel Biderman, to create what the company is today. Ashley Madison struggled in the beginning, which is why Biderman hired Back for his knowledge of marketing and business. From there, Ashley Madison would be known for their quippy slogans such as “Life is short, have an affair” and scandalous commercials.
Their controversial approach to advertising got them publicity. In the show, Back says, “You can talk good about or bad about me, please talk about me.” They recognized that their whole platform was built off controversy and leaned into that. This approach gained the attention of news stations, magazines and talk show hosts, exposing many to Ashley Madison and drawing in new customers.
The Ashley Madison controversy continued when a data leak happened in 2015. The company had falsely promised that user’s information would be protected. They made up security awards and added fake badges to their website to give themselves some credibility. The hackers called themselves “The Impact Team” and demanded that Ashley Madison cease business or millions of people’s private information would be released to the internet. They gave Ashley Madison 30 days to meet their requirements and after failing to do so, the information was released to the public. Millions of names were revealed including those of politicians, church leaders, celebrities and more.
Calamity ensued. People began to lose jobs, commit suicide and leave their families due to the guilt and embarrassment they faced. After failing to make amends and to properly handle the situation, Biderman resigned and the company was sold off. The hack further revealed that Biderman was scamming people out of money and that many of the accounts were bots, added to attract new users.
Ashley Madison was bought out by “Ruby,” a social entertainment company owned by Rob Segel. According to a 2020 report, Ashley Madison’s usership has continually grown, with 70 million members across the globe.
Unpopular With the Audience
The docuseries has mixed reviews. IMDb gave the show 6.3/10 while Rotten Tomatoes gave the show a 50%. The show did well in showing the sides of app users and their spouses. The former employees seem to give genuine information and opinions on mistakes the company made. The issue that many had was the sympathy expressed towards the app users. The show allows the users’ interviews to justify their reasons and you begin to feel sympathy for them. Many found this distasteful.
While the viewership score was relatively low, Netflix did a fine job of telling a story about the controversy that Ashley Madison was wrapped up in 2015. They show the lies that the company told its users and the lives it ruined. While they did sympathize with the users, there was also sympathy with the spouses and partners. Overall, Netflix put out a decent docuseries with an interesting story.
