Applications
TRAI acts tough about DAS; moves court against cable TV ops
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is flexing its muscles. The telco regulator has taken about a dozen cable operators to a Delhi court for not providing details of subscribers of set-top boxes (STBs) to multi-system operators (MSO) which is necessary to ensure accountability in digitisation of cable TV services.
The regulator has filed a complaint before chief metropolitan magistrate Vidya Prakash, saying that cable TV operators have not been complying with its regulations relating the government mandated digital addressable system (DAS). Under this, cable ops are supposed to attach a set top box to TV sets of their subscribers. And they have to provide customer details along with their choice of services, choice of channels and bouquets. But they have not been forwarding these to the MSO, the TV signals of which they are delivering to their subscribers. TRAI had ordered this to be the norm to ensure transparency and acccountability.
The regulator had in May 2012 issued its standards of quality of services (Qos) which provides for connection, disconnection, transfer, shifting of the cable TV services, procedure for handling subscribers complaints and redressal, for obtaining/ supplying STBs, changing the position of channels, payment of bills and responsibilities of cable operators and MSOs for ensuring quality of service at the subscriber level.
According to the QoS, cable ops had to mandatorily provide consumer information. But when it was getting updates about the spread of digitisation in phase I in the four metros, it discovered that some linked cable ops were shying away from providing relevant consumer details like total number of STBs seeded and operationalised, their choice of channels, bouquets and about subscribers. The TRAI also disclosed that the cable ops have failed to comply with its notices.
Small cable ops have been having run-ins with the TRAI from time to time, fearing future survival in a scenario where the MSO ends up building a direct relationship with their subscribers.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
