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States given one month to suggest on Cas extension
NEW DELHI: The information & broadcasting ministry officials here today told senior state government officials from West Bengal, Maharashtra and Delhi that they should inform the ministry within one month whether they want Cas extension in two phases or at one go, sources told Indiantelevision.com. |
The state officials informed the I&B officials that they had not had enough time to take the issue in the three metros at their own state cabinet and chief ministerial levels. Cas has been mandated only in the southern parts of the three metros. Senior minsitry officials said that if the major issues are resolved, the government could make some announcement this month, and the details like whether it would come in phases or at one go would depend on what the states said. |
| Officials said also that if the three states differed, the government would take its own decision in consultation with Trai and the stakeholders. Trai has favoured announcing all the phases at one go, officials said, as it would give the players enough time to lay out their business plans and the infrastructure properly. It would also bring down the price of set-top boxes. |
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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.
