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IAMAI introduces credit policy/accreditation process for digital agencies
MUMBAI: The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the not-for-profit industry body, has introduced a credit policy and accreditation process for all agencies dealing with online advertisements.
The policy claims to have garnered the support of leading online publishers in India including Rediff.com, Yahoo! India, Indiatimes.com and Sify.com. IAMAI president Dr Subho Ray is hopeful that the new policy will bring in some norms and standards to the relationship between online publishers and agencies which is currently bilateral and haphazard. |
According to an official announcement the policy consists of three aspects: a) A common credit policy for all accredited agencies Under the Policy, a 60 day credit would be extended by affiliated publishers to all accredited agencies with a 30 day window for negotiation, reconciliation and settlement. The process of accreditation has been deliberately kept simple and gratis to encourage agencies to be a part of this process. The policy comes into force from 28 March 2007 after the one-month window given to agencies for accreditation expires. |
| While the online advertisement business is very small as compared to other media, it has been estimated that dues over 90 days amount to 25 per cent of the revenues in some cases leading to a cash flow problem for online publishers. It was, therefore felt prudent to establish some basic “housekeeping” norms for the benefit of all the stakeholders in the value chain of online advertisement business, adds the release. As it exists today, the policy would regulate the relationship and payment schedules between online publishers and agencies only much like the process followed by the INS. However, if the policy works out successfully in the first stage, IAMAI would seriously consider taking the next step of setting up certain norms supporting the agencies‘ recovery from advertisers. |
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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.
