MDA blocks access to Ashley Madison website

SINGAPORE — Access to extramarital dating website Ashley Madison has been blocked by the Media Development Authority (MDA), after it ruled yesterday that the content was objectionable and showed a “flagrant disregard of family values and public morality”.

The move comes after plans to launch a Singapore edition drew widespread objections here, with Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing stating that the portal is “not welcome” in Singapore.

Ashley Madison, an online dating site for married people looking to have an affair, has a slogan that reads: “Life is short. Have an affair.” Launched in 2001, the Canada-based site has more than 21 million users worldwide and has been expanding in Asia, launching in countries such as India, Japan and, most recently, Hong Kong.

The MDA said in a statement the Ashley Madison website “stands out”, even though the Government adopts “a pragmatic and light-touch approach” to regulating Internet content.

“It aggressively promotes and facilitates extramarital affairs and has declared that it will specifically target Singaporeans,” the MDA said.

“It is against the public interest to allow Ashley Madison to promote its website in flagrant disregard of our family values and public morality. We will, therefore, not allow Ashley Madison to operate in Singapore and have worked with the Internet Service Providers to block access to the site.”

The authority prevents access to 100 websites, most of which are pornographic.

The Internet Code of Practice allows the MDA to work with Internet service providers to block certain sites that contain prohibited content, such as those against public morality, public order, public security and national harmony.

The MDA’s move drew quick reactions from the online community, with many who were against the site posting messages on a Facebook petition page, Block Ashley Madison — Singapore, which has garnered over 26,700 likes since it was created two weeks ago.

The National Family Council (NFC) welcomed the move to block the website, as it is “detrimental to the foundations of a family”. “Stable marriages form the cornerstone of happy and resilient families, and strong families make strong communities,” it added.