Is There a Growing Monopoly in the Ad Tech Industry?

A few month’s ago DoubleClick, Google’s online advertising platform, crashed causing more than 55,000 websites spaces that usually display advertisements to vanish.  Global competition has been steadily on the increase as a result of the growth of the Internet.  What’s interesting to keep in mind is the fact that one company’s network crash “broke” the Internet.  This is a reminder of how an established company has quietly achieved dominance in the ad-tech sector of the Internet industry. Advertisements are a direct cause of the exponential growth in the Internet because it has allowed publishers to monetize their content.  Without a healthy and efficient ad tech industry, but rather one with a company who has comparative advantage, the long run for the ad tech business looks daunting.

 Read more about Google’s dominance over the ad tech industry here

Homeland Security and Cybercrime

Cybercrime is becoming too common, and as the tech industry tries to find ways to combat hacking, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has joined them in trying to figure out the best defense against such crimes.  Their goal in mind is to create a smart, digital collection bin where any company, every local and state government agency can submit a warning: “we got hit by this line of code; don’t let it happen to you.” The advantage that the DHS has is all the pieces to connect the dots; they can see what the private sector sees, along with what the government can see.  Cybersecurity has become a main focus for expansion within the American defense system, and the DHS is working toward strengthening this branch.

 Read more about how DHS is involved with cybercrime here

Samsung’s New Direction in the Smartphone Industry

With the new Galaxy S smartphones, Samsung is showing off their capabilities of creating top-tier chips and screens. Samsung has been the leader in the smartphone industry for about four years, and after dropping into a tie with Apple in the fourth quarter, they have begun pouring $21 billion into capital expenditures.  Samsung is set to release two versions of its new high-end smartphone on Sunday during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday.  Both phones will have all-metal bodies and use Samsung’s applications processors instead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. 

Read more about why these new features are key for helping Samsung stand out in the mobile market here