Is all the hullabaloo over the Ashley Madison hack overblown?

Maybe . . .

Having an account on that website or any other dating site doesn’t mean you’ve actually had a sexual encounter with someone there. It only means that you sat in your chair at home and perused the online profiles of other members. Maybe you’ve chatted with some of them, even exchanged flirtatious emails. But it doesn’t prove you got lucky.

The truth is, many dating sites are filled with “players,” people goofing around who have no real intention of actually meeting anyone. It’s all fantasy for them.

Sure, there are people who are seriously looking for hookups, but how many of them actually succeed? And how could you prove they did?

Of course, there are reports that the hack of the Ashley Madison site and disclosure of personal information could lead to some people in oppressive countries like Saudi Arabia being punished or even executed. I wonder if the so-called “Impact Team” thought of that before they hacked the site and leaked the info. Surely they didn’t want to see anyone lose their heads, did they?

Or did they?

Who is behind the Ashley Madison hack? We know they go by the name “The Impact Team.” But that doesn’t tell us much.

Are they right-wing religious nut cases? Are they affiliated with the terrorist group seeking to set up a primitive Islamic state (I don’t want to legitimize them by calling them ISIS anymore)?

Or are they just Internet revolutionaries concerned about the safety of online data who are trying to show how easy it is to hack into various sites?

Personally, I don’t have a clue.

I didn’t have an account on the Ashley Madison site because I wouldn’t have a fling with a married person, though if I were a pro domina, I might take them on as subs — there is no sex involved in the BDSM and D/s scenes. But even then, I would want to be sure their partners were OK with it — and in those scenes, partners are usually on-board. (But I digress.)

But I am not judging people who swing on the Ashley Madison site or any other site. I suspect most people are polyamorous — and bisexual — at heart, even if they are in monogamous relationships. It’s something couples need to talk about, and no doubt, some will be now — if only through divorce lawyers.

How about you? What do you think of the Ashley Madison, er, affair?

— Jillian