Parliamentary computers used to access Ashley Madison dating site

Computers used by members of parliament and their staff have been used to access the extra-marital affairs site Ashley Madison, data obtained under Freedom of Information (FoI) rules show.

During the past year MPs, peers or staff have used parliamentary computers to log on to the site 26 times. 

Ashley Madison, a service for individuals seeking an affair, was the victim of a huge data leak in July, when hackers targeted the site and released the details of millions of users.

In response to the revelation, parliament said the website is blocked on its network, but that MPs, their staff, researchers, advisers and members of the House of Lords are able to use the internet on their computers during non-working hours.

It said further information is unavailable because data is only stored for one year.

READ MORE: At least 2 suicides suspected to be linked to Ashley Madison leak

Scottish National Party MP Michelle Thompson was reported to have been a user after her email address was allegedly found among the leaks. She denied using the service and said the email address was “out-of-use” and had been “targeted by hackers.”

In the US, numerous lawsuits have been filed against the website after adulterous spouses were exposed.

The hack revealed the names, addresses, phone numbers and credit card details of 37 million people worldwide, including a reported 1.2 million in the UK. The leak was posted on the dark web.

Other notable figures implicated in the leak reportedly include UN officials and Vatican employees.

It has also been linked to two suicides in Canada.