The US government is taking aim at the engine of Google’s immense wealth – its extremely lucrative ad tech business.
A trial beginning on Monday will hear the Department of Justice’s case that the search engine’s parent company Alphabet illegally operates a monopoly in the market.
The company earned more than $200 billion (£152bn) last year through the placing and selling of ads seen by internet users.
Alphabet has argued its success is due to the “effectiveness” of its services – but prosecutors say it has used its market dominance to stifle rivals.
