US officials were users in Ashley Madison – The Economist

Employees of more than two dozen US government agencies, including the Department of Justice and the Pentagon, are among the hundreds of workers who were using the Internet in government to enter extramarital dating site.

Employees of more than two dozen US government agencies, with positions in national security or justice are among the hundreds of workers who were using the Internet network in the government to enter extramarital dating site Ashley Madison and pay memberships, The Associated Press learned.

The list includes at least two assistant US attorneys, a manager of information technology staff support of the White House, a researcher from the Department of Justice, a division chief and employee hacker government and counterterrorism at the Department of Homeland Security. Others visited from networks operated by the Pentagon.

The general policies vary depending on whether agency employees can visit websites like Ashley Madison during working hours, but such use makes you wonder what pages of affairs accessing personal is acceptable US bureaucrats working hours paid by taxpayers, particularly those in sensitive positions who could be blackmailed.

This week, hackers circulated details of million people registered on the site web, a month after infiltrating Avid Life Media Inc., based in Toronto and owner of Ashley Madison. The portal, whose motto is “Life is short. Have an affair” is promoted as a site that facilitates extramarital affairs.

Few who were connected from federal networks used accounts of government mail to subscribe but the AP was able to track their Internet connections government, some registered in the service for five years and most recently until June. These include more than two dozen agencies, including the Departments of State, Justice, Energy, Treasury and Transportation. Others from the computer networks of the House of Representatives or the Senate.

The records also reveal that users are registered using state and municipal networks around the country, including the New York City Police Department.

The AP does not identify by name the bureaucrats signed because they are not elected officials and are not charged with any crime.

Some users of the federal government had email addresses with names like “sexlessmarriage “(matrimoniosinsexo),” soontobesingle “(porsersolteropronto) and” latinlovers “(amanteslatinos). Some employees of the Department of Justice apparently used prepaid credit cards to help them remain anonymous, though they were connected to the service from the office computer.

ERP