SINGAPORE — Extramarital dating website AshleyMadison.com today (Nov 9) said it is disappointed by the decision of the Media Development Authority (MDA) to block the website here.

In a statement by Noel Biderman, CEO and Founder, AshleyMadison.com, the company said that it “does not aggressively promote extra-marital affairs,” and is merely a platoform that “cannibalises” an already existing behaviour pattern.

The company also said that the MDA’s decision to ban the site based on the moral objections of a “small percentage of Singapore’s population, runs counter to the accepting and open-minded nature of Singapore and its diverse citizens.”

The statement added that it was “inexcusable” for the Singapore Government to ban the site given that “no laws” would be broken by it should it be launched here, as infidelity is not a criminal act in Singapore.

The company says it is consulting with its external legal advisors on possible ways to challenge the MDA’s decision.

The MDA had announced the ban on the website yesterday, ruling that the content of the Ashley Madison website was objectionable and showed a “flagrant disregard of family values and public morality.”