Ashley Madison: military email address found in the adultery site leak isn’t enough to get you investigated

MAJ Ken Landgren — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:15:41 -0400

I can't vouch on the veracity of this article:

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Pentagon Gives Free Pass to Ashley Madison Cheaters

Fear not, philandering warriors of America: Officials tell The Daily Beast that having a military email address found in the adultery site leak isn’t enough to get you investigated.

America’s fighting men and women might have been sweating bullets last week, after Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the armed services “are looking into” military email addresses that showed up in the leaked customer files of adultery website Ashley Madison.

But uniformed two-timers can stand at ease. Service officials told The Daily Beast that the mere presence of an email address isn’t enough to investigate someone for adultery—which the military considers a crime—and there are no plans to launch a military-wide manhunt for cheating spouses.

“There is no crime in signing up for a website,” said Wayne Hall, an Army spokesman.

“We hold all personnel to the highest standards in using government resources,” said Commander William Marks, a Navy spokesman, “and if revealed government resources were improperly used, we will take appropriate action.”

The key word is “if.” Absent a credible allegation that a service member engaged in an adulterous relationship, an email address alone won’t trigger an investigation.

One official, who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak candidly about military proceedings, said going down the list of would-be cheaters who (however stupidly) used their military email addresses to open Ashley Madison accounts would amount to “a witch hunt.”

It could also be time-consuming. More than 10,000 .mil email addresses are alleged to have been found in the Ashley Madison files, according to data published online after hackers who’d earlier breached the site’s security made good on threats to out its clientele.

A Marine Corps spokesperson said officials were “aware” of the leak of some 800 of their members’ email addresses online and that the Corps was investigating “to ensure continuity of operations, security standards compliance, and appropriate use of government resources.” But there was no mention of compliance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s prohibition on adulterous relationships.

Adultery is considered a criminal offense only when certain “elements” are present in a case. Among them, a service member must have had sexual intercourse with another person while married, Christopher Kenny, a lawyer with the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps, explained in an article for Military.com.

Simply signing up for Ashley Madison is, of course, no proof that anyone had sex. Furthermore, under military law, prosecutors also would have to show that the adulterous relationship “was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces,” Kenny said.

Military officials weren’t blasé on that front.

“We don’t condone behavior or activity that is not consistent with Air Force core values,” said spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Karns.

Carter likewise said that any hint of adultery was “an issue because conduct is very important. And we expect good conduct on the part of our people.”

The only infraction for which service members might conceivably be disciplined is misuse of a government computer system.

Still, the only infraction for which service members might conceivably be disciplined is misuse of a government computer system.

While the leak immediately raised concerns that service members or civilian military employees could be blackmailed by foreign governments, the Ashley Madison incident attracted no urgency from lawmakers equal to the hack of the Office of Personnel Management, in which more than 22 million current and former employees’ personal information was pilfered, probably by hackers in China.

Maybe lawmakers were so hush-hush because congressmen and senators don’t see the leak as a security risk. But notably, a handful of house.gov and senate.gov domains also showed up in Ashley Madison’s records.

Like the military, congressional officials apparently have no plans to get to the bottom of the Ashley Madison scandal. Indeed, a spokesperson for the Senate Sergeant at Arms said it’s not even clear that Senate employees were responsible for the few Senate addresses in the leaked files.

“At this time, there is no validation that email addresses released in the Ashley Madison data leak were actually submitted by anyone associated with the accounts,” the spokesperson told The Daily Beast. An email address tied to Sen. Ted Cruz’s office was reportedly the generic account for his press team and may have been logged with the site as a joke by someone not on Cruz’s staff.

A spokesperson for the House Sergeant at Arms didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Military officials also said they can’t be sure that a service member personally registered his or her email address with Ashley Madison.

So, America’s philandering warriors, have no fear. You will live to cheat another day.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/25/pentagon-gives-free-pass-to-ashley-madison-cheaters.html

Pentagon Gives Free Pass to Ashley Madison Cheaters

Fear not, philandering warriors of America: Officials say having a military email address found in the adultery site leak isn’t enough to get you investigated.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 26 at 2015 2:17 PM

SCPO David Lockwood — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:17:58 -0400

Desperate People.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Aug 26 at 2015 2:19 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:19:42 -0400

I doubt it, unless there are too many to take action on. Even if it were true, why does the name Lorena Bobbit come to mind?

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Aug 26 at 2015 2:20 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:20:41 -0400

Bad list to be on.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2015 2:49 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:49:17 -0400

This goes to what I was saying previously. Although these people may have cheated, evidence of an account isn't evidence that they did.

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Aug 26 at 2015 3:12 PM

CMSgt Mark Schubert — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:12:32 -0400

I don't think being on this list fits ANY part of ANY of the services core values. I seriously doubt anyone will get formally prosecuted for anything, however, there is a way to check for individual email addresses on the list and it will likely be another social media firestorm when someone finds out their significant other is on the list and they happen to be "popular" like Josh Duggar.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Aug 26 at 2015 3:32 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:32:51 -0400

I stand by my original comment. It's not worth the time & effort to investigate the issue. Look at strictly from a Resource management perspective, and it becomes "No good can come of this" and "Should we put our hand in this nest of vipers?" We have much better things we can be doing, which will net a BENEFIT.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 26 at 2015 3:51 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:51:00 -0400

That tells me that there were some high ranking people on the list. Otherwise that hammer would fall.

Response by MSgt Donald G. made Aug 26 at 2015 3:54 PM

MSgt Donald G. — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:54:06 -0400

Still seems like a good trolling place for an OPM Clearance Investigator to earn his gold stars. I wouldn't put it past them...

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Aug 26 at 2015 9:38 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 21:38:17 -0400

I don't know about now but I know the Peyton Place that was Married Service Members when I was in and if they kicked everyone out for Screwing Around there would be a much smaller military. Ever Notice the Red Light Districts near every military base.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 26 at 2015 10:20 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 22:20:33 -0400

Well, how strict is Ashley Madison on their email verification? I mean if they don't need a confirmation to sign up, you could enter any email address you want. Anyone here with an Ashely Madison account care to shed some light?

Response by COL Jeff Williams made Aug 27 at 2015 2:31 PM

COL Jeff Williams — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:31:08 -0400

The spouse has to ask for an investigation.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 27 at 2015 2:35 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:35:07 -0400

I am hearing that most folks who visit the site are guests and can not communicate with members or guests.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 27 at 2015 2:51 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:51:25 -0400

'Skanque'

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=south+park+skank&FORM=VIRE11#view=detail&mid=E2D13AF2EC5A7819C9D8E2D13AF2EC5A7819C9D8

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 27 at 2015 3:21 PM

SFC Mark Merino — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 15:21:58 -0400

Talk about dodging a bullet.....and a frying pan. Live and learn, cheaters. Put all that effort and money into working on your marriage. And you military members, thanks again for bringing heat and negative press to all of us just because we share the same uniform.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Aug 27 at 2015 4:24 PM

MCPO Roger Collins — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:24:29 -0400

I'm still trying to determine why it is any of the Pentagon's business. Maybe if a few of them whose names came up spoke up, we would know. Bottom line, "Who is watching the watchers?" If there are security concerns, then investigate that and potential risks. We know how the radicalization of Muslims take place in some Mosques, wouldn't it be more prudent to watch after national security there rather than a open private site? Ask Bill Clinton, if its a personal matter, no foul.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 27 at 2015 11:40 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 23:40:00 -0400

If you investigate one you have to investigate them all. I can only imagine the hours and money wasted if they did pursue this.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 28 at 2015 12:19 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 12:19:47 -0400

I joined cause I thought Ashley Madison was like Martha Stewart.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2015 12:23 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 12:23:53 -0400

Adultery is one of the hardest UCMJ articles to get someone with, pretty much have to have pics or catch them in the act. Had a SM getting it one with another SMs wife, that was a learning experience.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2017 8:54 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 08:54:57 -0500

It's not wise to use your .mil email address for anything other than official business. Using it for things like this? That makes you a Class A Moron.