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Asian broadcasters oppose new protocol on space assets
NEW DELHI: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasters Association of Asia (Casbaa) has expressed urgent global concern over proposed new international legislation would create an unprecedented and unnecessary legal framework for financing satellite and space programmes.
The Space Assets Protocol, sponsored by the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) based in Italy, ‘risks complicating and damaging the existing and well functioning processes. The industry would be confronted with the prospect of obligations and costs from the new legislation that purports to remedy a problem that simply does not exist‘ Casbaa said.
Apart from the European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), the Satellite Industry Association of (SIA) of the United States, and the Space Industry Association of Australia (SIAA), some 90 satellite operators, manufacturers and financiers drawn from around the world have also written to UNIDROIT and its member governments to register their own deep-seated reservations, Casbaa said in a statement from Hong Kong.
According to Casbaa and the other international organisations, the UNIDROIT Space Assets Protocol would create unnecessary legal framework for financing satellite and space programmes despite the fact that no problems have been identified with the existing framework for funding commercial satellite programs.
“At a time when governments are urging industry to create more jobs to enable growth, if enacted, the legislation will place counter-productive burdens on the worldwide satellite industry,” Casbaa, SIA, ESOA and SIAA chief executives said. “The additional bureaucracy will bog down procurement, reduce investment and result in the creation of fewer jobs in one of the most innovative and successful industries in the world.”
“We believe that the overwhelming opposition of the global industry should count for something in the priorities of our governments,” the four chief executives said. “We therefore urge all those with an interest in the continuing success of this sector to speak up and stop this process,” the statement read.
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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.
