Google accused of spending billions to block rivals as landmark trial continues

Justice department takes on tech giant in court, seeking to prove it illegally used its power to maintain monopoly on internet search

The court battle between the US justice department and Google has entered its second day, as the United States government seeks to prove that the tech behemoth illegally leveraged its power to maintain a monopoly over internet search engines. The trial is a major test of antitrust law and could have far-reaching implications for the tech industry and for how people engage with the internet.

The question at the heart of the trial is whether Google's place as the search engine for most Americans is the result of anti-competitive practices that gave internet users no other choice but to use its services.