On September 12, opening arguments were delivered in the Google antitrust case before a packed federal court in Washington. The justice department alleges that Google paid billions every year to Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Samsung and Mozilla, among others, so that Google’s search was the default option on cellphones and browsers.

The government’s lawsuit was filed in 2020, and in remarks at the time, Attorney General William Barr said: “It strikes at the heart of Google’s grip over the internet for millions of American consumers, advertisers, small businesses and entrepreneurs beholden to an unlawful monopolist.”