In light of the recent Ashley Madison hack, I was asked my opinion of whether of not this was a good thing. After carefully considering what was done to these people, I’ve concluded that this act of letting partners know that their spouses were cheating on them — even in this massive quantity — could have been a noble act if the hackers had not chosen to do it in a manner that publicly humiliated and possibly ruined the lives of those who had cheated, or those who were cheated on.

If the goal of the hackers was to benefit these spouses by letting them know they were being cheated on, then there were ways to do that without humilating everyone involved.

To have the struggles of any relationship displayed for the entire public is a debilitating invasion of privacy. The betrayal of a spouse can cause major depression, anxiety and shame, which can lead people to develop alcoholism, quit their jobs and even commit suicide.

To reveal these details without the permission of those involved is not only wrong, but it intensifies these responses to being cheated on.

Those who were cheated on are not the only victims of the hack. Take for example veteran police Captain Michael Gorhum of San Antonio, Texas, who committed suicide hours after a very public announcement that his email was on the Ashley Madison list. His email was not in fact registered on the site, but was released on a fake list that circulated from an anti-police website.

This leak did irreparable damage to many people, and while Americans love to share their opinion and pass judgment on each other, we have no right to make the private business of anyone our opportunity to stand at the pulpit and self-righteously preach about the immorality of the world. So please, at least in my presence stop making comments applauding the hackers and their “righteous” cause.

There are so many trivial rights that Americans glorify, such as the right to pollute their body with all the sodium and sugar they can buy or to own the most outrageously destructive weapons for their own enjoyment.

Why is it that anyone would betray a crucial, universal right such as the right to privacy? It was an inhumane act and the only response I can hope Americans would have is empathy for the victims, not scorn for the revealed cheaters.

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