LITTLE ROCK (KFSM) — Arkansas’ attorney general and attorney generals for 12 other states, the District of Columbia and the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with the company that owns AshleyMadison.com.
Ruby Corp. will make an immediate payment of $1,657,000, split between the FTC and the states. Arkansas will receive $52,829.69. The remaining $17.5 million is suspended based upon Ruby Corp.’s inability to pay a further amount, which is demonstrated through financial disclosure documents.
In addition to monetary penalties, Ruby Corp. agreed to cease engaging in certain deceptive practices, to not create fake profiles and to implement a stronger data security program.
AshleyMadison.com is a dating site that caters to individuals wanting to engage in extramarital affairs. In July 2015, the site was hacked and millions of members’ user information, including photos, usernames, email addresses, communication and other profile information was posted online.
Josh Duggar, of TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” which was based in Tontitown, was exposed as one of the website’s users. Duggar eventually released a statement apologizing and admitting to cheating on his wife.
In the wake of the security breach, it was discovered that the website had created thousands of fake user profiles, misrepresented the strength of its security and sold a “full delete” option, which it did not carry out in all instances.
The settlement, which was led by Vermont, included Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and the District of Columbia.
