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Google to cut down on storage of web cookies
MUMBAI: In a bid to reduce mounting concerns over privacy issues, Google today announced that it would soon begin deleting cookies it stores on the computers of millions of users that track their online habits. The cookies, which under current configuration last upto the year 2038, will be replaced by new cookies from the internet search giant “in the coming months”. The new cookies will expire within two years after a user visits its website, but they will be updated each time they return. Cookies are small data files that are downloaded automatically to computers when a website is visited. They identify users on later visits and gather information on their surfing behaviour and preferences. ‘Third-party cookies‘ can be used to track a consumer’s progress across several sites – valuable information for advertisers, but this data that is also perceived as intrusive on most occasions. Google’s commercial ambitions rest on it acquiring massive amounts of data from its users. Cookies play a key part in Google‘s efforts to customise its services for individual users and it helps target online advertising. Google‘s global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer said, “After listening to feedback from users and privacy advocates, we have concluded it would be a good thing for privacy to significantly shorten the lifetime of our cookies. These steps are part of our ongoing plan to continue innovating in the area of privacy to protect our users.” Earlier this year, a report from Privacy International placed Google at the bottom of its online privacy rankings and claimed the company had an institutional hostility to privacy. The recent concern over the use of cookies has been spurred by the company‘s $ 3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick, an internet advertising firm which has been controversial in the past for its use of invasive techniques.
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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.
