What the Ashley Madison hack could mean for national security

The release of information stolen from Ashley Madison, a site devoted to helping married individuals cheat on their spouses, could harm many people. But there is one group in particular -- members of the military -- that might suffer more than their civilian counterparts if they’re implicated by the data dump. An estimated 32 million Ashley Madison users were affected by the company’s hacking. Their e-mail addresses, partial credit card information, and IP addresses were revealed over the weekend.

For most people, the release of this data could be a problem. But for military members, being outed as adulterers could ruin their lives. The Uniform Code of Military Justice is explicit about its stance on cheaters: they should be punished. Adultery itself rarely leads to a court-martial, but the charge is often added to other accusations against a serviceperson to increase their punishment, and could lead to much more severe disciplinary actions. How severe? Well, adulterers could be punished with a year in confinement and a dishonorable discharge, which would lead them to lose all veteran benefits. Some, like former President George W. Bush, have advised against taking all adulterers to the court-martial. But still, the rule remains a part of the UCMJ.