Ashley Madison, the website for cheaters that was hit by a massive hack that exposed millions, is rebooting under new leadership as an "open-minded dating" service. And its Canadian-based parent company said it will no longer use female "bots" or automated programs that respond to members pretending to be women on the hunt for men.
A statement Monday from Avid Life Media, the parent firm of Ashley Madison, announced "a new direction and total repositioning" of the service. It said that newly appointed chief executive Rob Segal and president James Millership are three months into their new roles and were making "transformative changes" for the company and its flagship brand Ashley Madison.
The statement said the company's forensic accounting investigation confirmed that "bots" were no longer in use, stopped in North America in and internationally in Some media reports after last year's hack claimed that many of the female members on Ashley Madison were in fact bots that gave the impression there were more women on the site.
Last year, a hacker group released what was said to be personal data on more than 30 million members of Ashley Madison. The fallout led to reports of blackmail and even suicides. The company said it was stepping up security and had hired a cyber-security team from professional services firm Deloitte to implement new safeguards and monitoring.
On the Ashley Madison website, the longtime slogan "Life is Short, Have an Affair" was gone, and replaced by an image of a modestly dressed woman and a button saying "See Your Matches. Many members are in fulfilling relationships and need a safe place to explore polyamory together.
