Ashley Madison's Parent Company Says It's Under Federal Investigation

A breach of the site last year revealed the names of alleged cheaters.

ByABC News
July 5, 2016, 4:34 PM
A June 10, 2015 file photo shows Ashley Madison's Korean web site on a computer screen in Seoul, South Korea.
A June 10, 2015 file photo shows Ashley Madison's Korean web site on a computer screen in Seoul, South Korea.
Lee Jin-man/AP Photo

— -- The parent company of Ashley Madison has confirmed to ABC News that it is under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission after a hack last year that exposed names, email addresses and phone numbers for some of the website's 37 million members. The website claims to connect people looking to have an extramarital affair.

"The company has been proactively sharing information with the FTC and other regulatory agencies since August 2015 and we'll continue to cooperate in an open, ongoing manner to assist them with their inquiries," Rob Segal, Avid Life Media's newly installed CEO, said in a statement.

FTC investigations are not public and the commission declined ABC News' request for comment. The news comes as the company's new executives are seeking to build confidence following the hack.

"A year ago, Avid Life Media was silenced by a devastating, criminal hack that affected our company and some of our members. The company is truly sorry for how people's lives and relationships may have been affected by the criminal theft of personal information. That's why we're charting a new course and making some big changes," Segal said in a statement.

Since the hack one year ago, Segal said the company is "investing even more heavily in security enhancements and privacy safeguards to deal with evolving cyber threats over the past year, and that will continue."

Among those safeguards is a partnership with Deloitte's cyber security team and "secure and discreet payment options" for people looking to join the website.