Was Ashley Madison a real dating service?

Ashley Madison is a real dating service that was launched in 2001, specifically catering to individuals seeking to have extramarital affairs or discreet relationships. The platform, whose tagline is "Life is short. Have an affair," was created by Darren Morgenstern and operated by Avid Life Media, now rebranded as Ruby Corp. Although some question the morality of the service it offers, Ashley Madison functions much like any other dating site but with a focus on privacy and anonymity for its users. However, the service gained significant notoriety in 2015 following a high-profile data breach that exposed personal information of millions of its members, bringing widespread attention to its user base and operational practices.