Applications
Yahoo! signs mobile deal with Idea Cellular
BANGALORE: Yahoo! has signed a deal with Idea Cellular (ICL) in India, in a new partnership that will focus on distribution of Yahoo! mobile search service. Yahoo! oneSearch was launched in Asia in May this year. The distribution of Yahoo! oneSearch by ICL makes it easier for people to search for and find results on their mobile devices. It will provide consumers access to news, web images, financial information, weather conditions, Flickr™ and other web sites, as well as make it easy to navigate to other web sites. For example, if one wants to look for the latest information on a city, they just need to type it into the search box to receive relevant results based on their search queries such as weather, Flickr photos, web images, latest news articles and more. “Yahoo! oneSearch provides Idea with a competitive advantage by offering a reliable and easy-to-use mobile search offer to consumers in India,” said ICL chief marketing officer Pradeep Shrivastava. “Our subscribers are increasingly looking for the quickest way to access services on the open internet and the mobile device has now become a tool to get instant answers,” he added. According to an official release, the strategic partnership with Idea demonstrates Yahoo!’s commitment to become number one in mobile services and establishes a strong early leadership position in mobile audience reach, mobile search services and mobile monetization. “Our partnership with Idea Cellular is helping to extend Yahoo!’s clear leadership in search for mobile users in India,” said Yahoo! president and general manager, Connected Life Asia, David Ko. He added, “Yahoo! is committed to innovation that provides value to operators and consumers and our mobile partnership strategy will continue to evolve and add value to our respective customers.” Yahoo! oneSearch is now available in 14 countries including India. Yahoo! oneSearch first launched in the United States in January 2007.
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.
