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Google, Verizon strike deal on handling net traffic
MUMBAI: Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. have struck an accord on handling internet traffic. The compromise would restrict Verizon from selectively slowing internet content that travels over its wires, but wouldn’t apply such limits to internet use on mobile phones.
Verizon and Google have been adversaries over the issue, known as ‘net neutrality’. The former was among cable and phone companies that said that they need scope over the delivery of web content to protect performance of their networks.
Google led content providers and advocacy groups that say restrictions are needed so that communication companies don’t favour their own online offerings or those of its partners.
The two companies have become business allies through Verizon Wireless, the largest US wireless carrier that is co-owned by Verizon. Mobile phones that use software from Google helped Verizon’s profit this year.
New York-based Verizon’s earnings beat estimates last month after its wireless unit introduced phones running on Google’s Android software that include Droids from Motorola Inc. and HTC Corp. to compete against AT&T’s iPhone from Apple.
Executives of Google Inc., AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. met Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials last weekend.
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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.
