The Independent reports that some gay users of the Ashley Madison website are now fearing for their lives, since the hack exposes the names and locations of users living in countries where homosexual is illegal and, in some cases, punishable by death.
Ashley Madison owns gay domains like ManCrunch and We Know Down Low, and members of both clubs are among the 37 million account holders whose sexual preferences have now been made public by this week’s hack.
Homosexuality is still illegal in roughly 75 countries, including several states in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and most of the Caribbean. Placing sensitive information about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people living in these regions therefore puts their lives at risk.
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Over 50 accounts have been found from Qatar, where homosexual relations can land you five years in prison, and 1,500 accounts are from Turkey – where homosexuality can ban you from military service.
