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Ban on YouTube continues in Pakistan
NEW DELHI: The ban on YouTube in Pakistan imposed to protest the film ‘Innocence of Muslims‘ continues, though Interior Minister Rehman Malik had announced that it was being opened on public demand.
Pakistan had lifted the ban on Saturday but re-imposed it later after discovering that the offensive content was still available on the online video platform.
According to reports, all the ISPs in Pakistan received notification yesterday from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to unblock YouTube with immediate effect and submit compliance through return email by 1700 hours.
Before ISPs could send the compliance report to PTA, Ashraf issued an order to block the YouTube again on the grounds that YouTube had not removed the blasphemous movie ‘Innocence of Muslims‘ from its servers.
The second directive of PTA to the companies said: “In pursuance of withdrawal of earlier MoIT directive of opening of YouTube, you are all now requested to block complete “YouTube” website immediately in Pakistan from all possible routes.”
The website will remain blocked till further orders. Moreover, you are also requested to block the particular IPs of following version of YouTube without disrupting the non-YouTube traffic.
YouTube has been off internet in Pakistan for a hundred days, during which the PTA is understood to have held discussions with Google.
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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.
