Keep it PG-13

The internet giants are self-censoring themselves in India. [The Hustle]( Mon, Jul 17 Introducing: The Hustle Tip Line Have an insider tip, a story lead, or something you’d like to see covered? Shoot us an anonymous note at tips@thehustle.co. Or, if you want to pull a Bruce Wayne and protect your identity, you can use this anonymous form at [( Can’t be all things to all people As Silicon Valley expands into India, giants like Google and Amazon are [censoring their content]( to fit the country’s traditionalist views. It’s an effort to avoid conservative backlash -- but instead, it has invoked the wrath of progressives. New phone, who dis? As India’s internet infrastructure continues to improve, more and more people are getting online. In 2016, the country saw a 28% uptick in internet users -- and mobile usage is through the roof, jumping [9x in the past year](. These conditions have made the country the epicenter of a tech battle, with internet companies spending billions to increase their footprint and win over users. Case in point: Amazon has invested $2B in India as part of a [$5B commitment]( to the country. And in an effort to appease this new market, they’re doing everything they can to balance “customer preferences and Indian cultural sensibilities.” In other words, no nudes Amazon Prime Video, which launched in India last December, censors nudity and profanity from its shows and movies, and Amazon India doesn’t sell “adult products” on its site. Most adult products are also blocked from buying keywords and display ads on Google in India. Thing is, there is no legal precedent for this kind of censorship. Last year, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India’s FCC equivalent) ruled that the government has [no power to censor]( content on the internet. And ironically… These tech companies’ attempts to avoid controversy have instead incited the wrath of filmmakers and more progressive users, who are outraged to be paying for a service that limits what they can watch. Netflix, who, until June, had a censorship policy of their own in India, recently reversed it due to the outcry. It doesn’t appear that Amazon or Google will be changing their conservative policies any time soon -- and based on their [impressive growth numbers]( they don’t need to. [Don't have a cow]( “It’s not cheating, it’s tech” Riiiiight… Computational knowledge company [Wolfram Alpha]( has an algorithm that not only solves advanced math equations in seconds but shows its work, making it untraceable when students copy it for their homework. Using natural language processing (a type of AI), to break down pieces of a question, the algorithm cross-references its library of data sets on everything from chemistry to genetics to provide an answer -- like a Google search that spits out a single, correct answer, rather than pages of relevant results. But as more and more students lean on it to do their calculus homework, CEO Stephen Wolfram doesn’t consider his creation a shortcut -- it’s just the [new way of doing things](. He calls it “computational thinking” Wolfram argues that “mechanical math” -- memorizing tables, equations, and formulae -- is obsolete. Instead of having to understand underlying formulas, we’ve now reached the point where we need to instead learn to formulate our thoughts so that we can explain them to a computer. Meaning, at this point, knowing how to ask a computer to do algebra is a lot more valuable than knowing how to do it yourself. That’s a pretty bold statement… But it does come from a guy who won the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 1981, at the age of 21 -- so maybe he’s just ahead of the curve. So far, the academic community has had [mixed feelings]( about the new trend, with most leaning in the “cheating” camp. Then again, we’re guessing back in the abacus days, calculators were considered cheating too... [Pushing all the buttons]( (See title above) Cheat-on-your-spouse website Ashley Madison is set to pay out $11.2m to settle a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of [millions of users]( outed in a 2015 data breach. Seems like justice -- but it’s peanuts compared to the $567m initially sought by prosecutors. Hey sexy… Founded back in 2002 by Canadian entre-porn-neur Darren Morgenstern, Ashley Madison markets itself as a service for married folks (mostly men) to find side-flings. Its tagline: "Life is short. Have an affair." In 2015, a group of hackers known as "[The Impact Team]( broke into the site’s security network and released more than [60GB of data]( on its users. A class-action lawsuit quickly formed, alleging that AM’s parent company, Ruby Corp., failed to take "necessary and reasonable precautions" to protect its data. Now, pending review of a judge, they could be getting out of the class-action for about 2% of the original amount sought. Getting off easy Sure, most class-action lawsuits end up settling for way less than the initial ask. But for one of the largest [data leaks]( the gov has ever seen (and a suit that affects millions of users), we’d expect a bigger payday. And since the hack, AM’s business is booming. Their user base is up 50% from 2 years ago, and purportedly produced [$80m in revenue]( last year. [Cheaters sometimes prosper]( Alphabet’s mosquito army Over the next few months, Alphabet Inc.'s life sciences research division, Verily, will let loose [20m mosquitos]( in Fresno, California. It’s part of an effort entitled “Debug Fresno,” which will use lab-grown, bacteria-infected insects to eradicate a much worse strain of mosquito that has plagued the central California city. Wait, so they’re using mosquitoes to get rid of other mosquitoes? Pretty much. See, back in [2013]( a particularly bad breed of mosquito, the Aedes aegypti, started showing up in the area. These little buzzers are known to carry and spread things like the Zika virus and dengue fever. To combat them, Verily researchers infused millions of male mosquitoes with a bacteria called [Wolbachia]( that makes the females they mate with lay dead eggs. They’ll release 1m of these bugs every week for 20 weeks, in the hopes that they’ll mate with the Aedes aegypti females and kill out -- or at least, severely cut down -- the species. The scourge of the Earth The mosquito is literally the deadliest animal in the world: every year, they’re responsible for [725k human fatalities](. In recent years, the ol’ Wolbachia trick has been touted as a way to potentially reduce mosquito-borne disease on a global scale -- including an $18m grant from the [Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]( to use the method in Latin America. And sure, Verily’s mosquito dump will bug Fresno residents this summer -- but at least they’ll be itching for a good cause. [Fighting fire with fire]( monday morning review Check out our new kicks Specifically, a flashy new footer with our writers’ mugs on it. If you read the email every day, you might recognize our names, but you probably don’t know a ton about the people behind the news. For instance, you may not know that Kamran speaks Farsi and is a dual citizen of France, that Zack has been cited by the White House and once hunted for an [old man’s gold]( or that I used to formulate surgical glue and do a mean impression of SNL’s [Target Lady](. But, we want to change all that, and make it easier for you to holler at us -- which is why we’ve linked our twitter handles so we can all get to know each other. Oh, speaking of hollering, that little note at the top about our [tip line]( Don’t be shy. We’re taking all leads, scoops, and secrets on business, tech, and the world at large. And now we wait… -- Lindsey, VP of Sounding Ominous This edition of The Hustle was brought to you by What do two Estonians, Andreessen Horowitz, and Richard Branson have in common? They’re all helping people save 50 million dollars on international money transfers -- every month. This isn’t a joke. Estonian founders Taavet and Kristo have teamed up with these mega-investors to create [TransferWise]( a company that’s making it easy and cheap to transfer money around the world. TransferWise charges its customers just a small upfront fee – typically between [0.5 - 1.5%]( – and gives them a fair exchange rate. Banks and traditional providers often charge higher fees and mark up the exchange rate, so they can make money off that, too. It all adds up. If you want to save a chunk of that change for yourself, visit [TransferWise](. And, you know, actually keep the money you’re sending. 0 REFERRALS [ BECOME AN AMBASSADOR WHEN PEOPLE SIGN UP USING YOUR LINK Lindsey Quinn WRITER Kamran Rosen WRITER Zack Crockett WRITER John "Bug spray me down" Havel BACKSEAT EDITOR Lois Faire TRAVEL AGENT [SUBSCRIBE]( [JOBS]( [ADVERTISE]( [EVENTS]( You opted in by signing up, attending an event, or through divine intervention. 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