Around this time last year, the Ashley Madison scandal dominated headlines as the dire consequences of an online hack was made even more evident.

As users’ information was scattered across the web, after the website refused to permanently delete users who had deleted their accounts’ details, the public was shocked.

While people scoured the information for famous names, the biggest scandal was that there were more fembots (fake automated accounts) leading on men than actual women.

Now, its parent company Avid Life Media is at the center of a U.S. Federal Trade Commission investigation. Although the company isn’t sure of the investigation’s exact focus, Reuters notes that another dating site paid over $600,000 to the F.T.C. for a practice similar to the use of fembots back in 2014.

Earlier this year Avid Life Media replaced its C.E.O’s.

Here’s an update of the company since, from Vanity Fair:

“We are profoundly sorry,” Rob Segal, company C.E.O. since this April, told Reuters. Segal, who took over from former C.E.O. Noel Biderman, who resigned a week after the data breach, said the company plans to spend millions to improve security and is seeking payment options that offer more privacy.

However, Segal and company president James Millership first have to contend with the several class action lawsuits filed on behalf of those whose information was leaked online, along with allegations that Ashley Madison used fake fembot profiles to manipulate customers.

According to the executives, Ashley Madison’s male-to-female ratio is five to one, and an Ernst & Young report commission by the company showed that computer programs impersonated real women that spoke to paying male customers. Fembots were shut down in 2014, but some U.S. users still spoke with the programs until late 2015, the report found.

Segal told Reuters that looking into the website’s use of fembots is “a part of the ongoing process that we’re going through.” He also noted that the brand is currently transitioning, “We certainly feel that the Ashley Madison brand can be repositioned.”

It could take a while for all this to die down, but until that time comes, I would suggest you be careful out there. Cybercrime is a real threat that is only increasing as time goes on – you better protect yourself now.

[source: vanityfair]