A SCOTTISH MP joined Transport for London, London Fire Brigade and council workers yesterday among the victims of a data hack against adultery website Ashley Madison.

Edinburgh West MP Michelle Thomson denied the connection, saying “an out-of-use email address” had been used.

The data dump, which included names and addresses of 37 million Ashley Madison users, was released earlier this week by hacking group the Impact Team.

Ms Thomson said that she had not been aware of the illicit encounters site but that she looked “forward to finding out more about what has actually happened.”

Further investigations into the hacked data showed that 1.2 million of the website’s users were British and included members of staff in the Foreign and Home Offices, HM Revenue and Customs and the BBC.

Ashley Madison promises to connect those looking for extramarital dating under the motto: “Life is short. Have an affair.”

Technology and security experts argued the implications of the hack could be very personal for some.

“The data stolen and released has far-reaching social implications,” said information security firm Tripwire director Lamar Bailey.

“This could play into hiring decisions too because many companies run background checks and Facebook, Twitter and Google searches for applicants.

“If an applicant shows up as an Ashley Madison user, does that show something about the applicant’s trustworthiness and morals?”

As the website requires no email verification process, it is thought that some of the information released may consist of fabricated identities.