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Govt permits video calls on 3G mobiles
NEW DELHI: The government has permitted carriage of video calls on 3G mobile networks as long as the operators provide an undertaking that that they would provide interception capability by 31 July.
According to a decision by the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, the operators have to develop required technical capabilities and get it tested by the government well in advance so that the testing process is completed and communication regarding satisfactory testing can be issued by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to the service providers by 31 July.
An official press note said: “If the demonstration is not up to the satisfaction of the Government, the service providers stand committed as per the undertaking unconditionally and unequivocally withdraw the Video Call Service from their network immediately.”
Earlier, the intercepted video calls were not being delivered to the security agencies in the desired manner, the note observed. Those offering the service were asked to stop it as security agencies were not able to intercept the video calls on real-time basis.
The Tatas and Reliance have already launched the 3G service across various circles, while others, including Bharti and Vodafone, are likely to start soon.
The operators had several rounds of discussions with officials of the Telecom and Home Ministries to resolve the issue. They offered several alternatives, including a promise that a suitable mechanism would be worked out to monitor such calls.
The DoT and the Home Ministry were working together in putting in place some rules and norms for intercepting or monitoring of the 3G transactions in the interest of national security.
The 3G service includes voice call, video calls and data services. In the data services, the operators claim to offer high-speed Internet service.
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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.
