Blockchain Technology Poised To Disrupt Digital Advertising

Blockchain technology, the basis of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, took off in 2017 across a wide array of industries, and is poised to make significant strides in digital advertising in 2018. The inherent benefits of blockchain – security, transparency and accountability – hold great potential for the digital advertising industry, where marketers and publishers have been struggling to combat bot fraud and transparency issues. However, the same benefits also pose a variety of technical, practical and legal barriers.

Blockchain is a decentralized and mutually-verifiable digital ledger – like a digital spreadsheet where entries are verified by consensus. The transactions are encrypted and cannot be erased or altered once they are entered, and because they are confirmed via consensus, the need for an independent middleman is removed. Theoretically, this creates an environment of greater transparency, security and trust between all parties involved in the digital