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STBs, Video Games, music systems under mandatory registration regime
New Delhi: Television set-top boxes (STBs), electronic video games, laptops/notebooks/tablets, plasma/LCD/LED television sets and electronic musical systems are among the fifteen items that have been brought under a scheme for mandatory regime of registration.
This has been done under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order 2012 issued by the Departments of Electronics and Information Technology so that these products meet specified safety standards.
The order will come into effect after six months of its publication in the official gazette. The said order has been issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Rules and Act.
The fifteen items include Electronic Games (Video); Laptop/Notebook/Tablets, Plasma /LCD /LED Televisions of screen size 32″ & above; Optical Disc Players with built in amplifiers of input power 200W and above; Visual Display Units, Video Monitors of screen size 32″ & above; Amplifiers with input power 2000W and above; Electronic Musical Systems with input power 200W and above; and Set Top Boxes.
In each case, an Indian Standard Number has been generated and the Title of Indian Standard has been specified.
As against licensing, the scheme provides for self-registration of specified electronic goods. The scheme provides that no person shall by himself or through any person on his behalf manufacture or store for sale, import, sell or distribute specified electronic goods which do not conform to the specified standard and do not bear the words “Self declaration – Conforming to IS (Relevant Indian Standard mentioned in column (3) of the Schedule) on such Goods after obtaining Registration from the BIS. Substandard or defective Goods which do not conform to the specified standard will be deformed beyond use by the manufacturer and disposed off as scrap. However, the order does not apply to electronic goods meant for export.
The scheme also provides that the electronic goods having different sizes, ratings, varieties etc, such goods shall be grouped and may be granted series approval for a Series of Products based on testing of representative models. The Department will approve such series of products. This will obviate the need for every single model of the same series to be registered.
The scheme also provides for the Department and the BIS to randomly select samples of registered electronic goods to ascertain whether these goods conform to the Specified Standard. The electronic goods have to be tested by BIS-approved testing laboratories. STQC has already initiated steps to get approval of its laboratories by BIS.
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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.
