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Centre only to monitor Orkut content, no ban of site
NEW DELHI: Even as a section of the Shiv Sena cracked down on cyber cafés in Mumbai to voice their protest against what they termed as attacks on some religious communities on the social networking site Orkut, the central government says there is no question of banning the website. Controller of Certifying Authorities Dr N Vijayaditya told indiantelevision.com that the complaint by the Shiv Sena and the Mumbai police only related to some content, and not the site operated by the internet company Google. He said the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team was studying the complaint sent to it by the Thane police recommending restrictions across India on Orkut, designed in January 2004 by Turkish software engineer Orkut Buyukkokten. The team functions under the CCA which was formed in 2003 under the Information Technology Act to regulate online content and has the power to block websites deemed offensive. Controller for Certification Dr N Vijayaditya told HT: “We have to study the police report before we come to a conclusion.” Sections 24 to 31 of the Information Technology Act 2000 give powers to the CCA to examine whether any website has violated the Act or rules drawn thereunder, and can suspend the licence to operate the site in India. According to media reports, Thane Deputy Commissioner of Police Anup Kumar Singh has asked cyber cafes in the region to request customers to refrain from using the website while it waits from the report from the centre. Another media report said Shiv Sena was working to create its own network to monitor sites that use abusive language about any religion.
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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.
