Google antitrust trial kicks off in Washington

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to preside over the trial, which begins on Tuesday. The Justice Department alleges that Google controls roughly 90 percent of the search engine marketplace and used abusive business practices to maintain its dominance. Google denies wrongdoing and claims that it does face competition.

What sorts of abusive business practices is the Justice Department alleging? The government accuses Google of paying device manufacturers, such as Apple and internet browser companies like Mozilla Firefox, to make its search engine the default in its software. Google worked out a similar agreement with the manufacturers of Android phones, which European regulators ruled was illegal.

Dig deeper: Read Alexandra Ellison’s report in Muse about Google and Meta blocking news in Canada.