The US Department of Justice is on the cusp of a landmark decision in its antitrust case against Google, with the tech giant facing potential breakup of its Chrome browser and ad-tech dominance. The DOJ accused Google of monopolizing the ad-tech market and stifling competition in September 2023, allegations that Google has denied as outdated. After a two-week trial, both sides presented their final arguments, leaving the judge to deliberate on the case.

The DOJ's primary concern is Google's Chrome browser, which it believes gives the company an unfair advantage in the search market. If the court rules in favor of the DOJ, it could pave the way for other players like DuckDuckGo and newcomer OpenAI, which is considering launching its own browser, to gain a foothold in the market.

The antitrust case is a significant development in the tech industry, with far-reaching implications for the ad-tech market and online search landscape. Google's dominance in these areas has been a subject of controversy for years, with critics arguing that the company's market power stifles innovation and competition.

In other tech news, a report by cybersecurity firm Positive Technologies has revealed that South Africa is the most targeted African country for cyberattacks, accounting for 22% of all attacks on the continent between Q1 2023 and Q3 2024. The report highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks in Africa, with government entities and financial institutions being prime targets. Hackers are employing advanced persistent threats (APTs) to remain undetected for long periods, and are even forming colonies on the dark web to share data and sell access to company networks.

In Nigeria, Union Bank has increased staff salaries by 40%, following a similar move by GTBank in September 2024. The salary hike is aimed at helping employees cope with the country's rising cost of living and inflation. The bank hopes the increase will also help it remain competitive in the industry, where employees often move between banks for better pay.

Egypt, meanwhile, is introducing a new tax structure on imported mobile phones, with customs and tax fees totaling 37.5%. The move is aimed at encouraging local production and reducing dependence on imports, with the government partnering with top original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung, Vivo, and Nokia to establish production factories in the country.

The new tax rule could benefit local phone manufacturers like SICO Technology, but may also impact global manufacturers like Apple, which could see demand drop due to the tariff hike. Apple has the option to invest in Egypt or rely on brand loyalty to convince consumers to pay the extra 37.5% on their phones.

Finally, the World Wide Web3 crypto tracker shows Bitcoin at $94,298.71, Ether at $3,418.02, and Solana at $237.06, with MAD experiencing a significant 300.81% increase. Applications are also open for the 2025 Acumen West Africa Fellows Programme and the 2025 Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for Cybersecurity.