Applications
Fifa to hijack bandwidth and affect online busineses
MUMBAI: Internet cloud security vendor iSheriff has warned that the FIFA World Cup will not only affect worker productivity, but may also disrupt critical Web-based business resources through excessive bandwidth consumption on sites such as YouTube.
The Fifa World Cup is expected to draw a global audience of almost five billion fans.
It probably won’t come as a shock to some employers that workers might be calling in sick the morning after their team has played. Most businesses accept that these kinds of events will distract their staff and reduce productivity at some point. What many companies don’t realize is how events like this can hijack their network bandwidth and disrupt legitimate business functions.
iSheriff CEO Oscar Marquez says, “Fans accessing streaming media and live coverage at work can prevent productive employees accessing online tools such as Salesforce.com or add major delays to file downloads”.
iSheriff says that YouTube often accounts for more than 75 per cent of normal business bandwidth consumption in typical organizations, with that use set to skyrocket during the World Cup. The company suggests that while total bans on social networking and streaming media can be heavy-handed, there are a range of steps that companies can take to manage bandwidth use and mitigate disruption to their business and productivity.
For companies that want to preserve their bandwidth, but don’t want to cut off World Cup news and coverage completely, iSheriff suggests providing dedicated World Cup computers in the staff room or cafeteria alongside television coverage.
“If you establish central World Cup access in your staff common room or cafeteria, you encourage more efficient use of bandwidth while helping workers keep in touch with their teams in a more appropriate way,” adds Marquez.
iSheriff says that its Web Security Service can control access to sites such as YouTube by workstation or user, enabling organizations to lock down work computers during the Cup while allowing free access to sports sites and streaming media from nominated computers.
“However organisation’s choose to manage worker productivity during the World Cup, the key is communication. Keep workers informed of their responsibilities and the organisation’s expectations of appropriate Internet use during the cup and hopefully everyone can enjoy the occasion productively,” said Marquez.
Applications
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.
