Drug Cartel in Smartphone Business

(12/10/2013) The drug cartels in South America still get their hand dirty, but maybe smarter now. They buy stolen phones from the US and resell them like news one to people in their market. The technology to block resell stolen smartphones is available. Absolute Software's technology has shown that it can trace the phone to the location. However, Apple, Google, Verizon & AT&T ... won't do anything. Why? First, many people cell phones are in the contract, so it means they will have to replace new phones otherwise they still have to pay the service. Second, very few people who rely on smartphones can now live without it. Three, cell phone users tend to stick to the same maker (due to learning curve of switching) and the same wireless service provider (contract and service level preference).

The companies (Apple, Google, Verizon & AT&T ... ) can sell you new phones to replace your stolen ones, why do they ever make effort to sacrifice their profit? Good and evil only differ in a very fine line here.

The Contribution of A Black Market

(8/30/2013) I came cross with this interesting article about black market and global economy. It reminds me of some business activities in Asia and how it ran and operated when I grew up. When a market has a demand for something but it is inconvenient for consumers to get it (cigarettes, alcohols, drugs, prostitutions, or even some luxury goods in some developing countries), the black market fills this gap. It bypasses the regulation and intervention of the government. In a black market, the consumers know where to find the supply and the suppliers will rush in when there is a business opportunity to profit from it. I wonder if a more open and free economy has a relative small black market? Is it better off to the whole society?