There's 3 in this too: a couple and a hacker.
And the millions of people that read the list? You forgot them.
Are you trying to claim that it's only because of this list that people other than the one cheated on finds out about the cheating? Where I come from, there's usually a blow up and every friend and family member of the couple knows about it in short order.
Meanwhile, my understanding is that this published list didn't even include actual names, just email addresses and the last four digits of their cards. And who cares if
BigDude_Smigglebottom@Iwanttodoyourwife.com is in the list, unless you happen to know who the actual owner of that email address is? It's not like "millions of people that read that list" know or care at all. They're looking for their own significant others, or public figure hypocrites, that have used their actual known email addresses (which is pretty stupid of the people who signed up, btw).
But you say it's the fault of whomever tattled on them - THEY are the despicable characters in your world.
Whoa, I said that? I don't recall that. When did I say that? I must have been drunk.
Maybe you're misunderstanding my view here. I'm in no way placing the blame on anyone other than those cheating for the cheating. I don't place any blame on AM for cheating. They simply provided a service that was apparently in high demand.
However, I DO place blame on the hackers for releasing private information.
Ahem... for tattling on the cheaters.
Hackers can be quite the despicable characters. I don't think they look like minions at all. I don't know if you've ever had your credit card or personal information stolen, but it's not exactly the nicest and easiest process to go through. While getting a phone call from the bank asking if you've used your credit card at a McDonald's in Russia is kind of funny, it is a little disconcerting. Having to go through months of statements to figure out if any extra charges were added here or there, while spending hours on the phone with the bank, isn't pleasant at all.
My bank was hacked about 14 years ago, just before Christmas, and they took all the money out of a LOT of accounts, including mine. Yeah, it was unpleasant, but all straightened out in about a week.
But I don't think that's the issue here. They didn't release to the "millions of people that read that list" the information one needs to get at the funds on those credit cards. So, that's not the issue.
No, what they released to those "millions of people that read the list" is the information that allows individuals to find out if their own significant other, using their own unique and known to the significant other email address, confirmed with the last 4 digits of their unique and known to the significant other CC# - are actively cheating on them, or trying to cheat on them, or wanting to cheat on them.
I don't see how that's really significantly any different than any of the MANY ways people find out that their significant other is cheating on them, MOST by way of "violating" the cheater's "privacy". If she suspects and checks the website, or if she suspects and checks his phone messages, or if she suspects and puts a GPS in his trunk, or if she suspects and follows him herself, or if she suspects and hires a gumshoe to follow him and take pictures and recordings, what's the real difference?
I just don't see it.
