Applications
Google acquires DRM provider Widevine
MUMBAI: Google Inc. is buying the video software maker Widevine Technologies Inc for an undisclosed amount, demonstrating its appetite to snap up companies that would add to its synergy.
Although Google is one of the largest distributors of online video, it doesn’t have its own streaming-video DRM technology.
This acquisition will let Google have its hands on Widevine‘s video delivery optimisation software and digital rights management (DRM), which is used by more than 250 million Web-connected devices, including TVs and Blu-ray players made by Samsung, LG and Panasonic.
Google vice president Mario Queiroz wrote in a blog post that Widevine has “worked to provide a better video-delivery experience for businesses of all kinds,” and that “by forging partnerships across the entire ecosystem, Widevine has made on-demand services more efficient and secure for media companies, and ultimately more available and convenient for users”.
Widevine chief executive and co-founder Brian Baker said in a release, “Widevine will continue to supply the industry with leading video optimization and content-protection solutions. We are excited to have access to Google‘s vast resources as we continue to improve our products, support our customers, and meet the future needs of consumers, content owners, service providers and device manufacturers everywhere.”
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.
