The Department of Justice filed an antitrust suit against Google on Tuesday, alleging that the tech giant has used its dominance in the search business to become a "monopoly gatekeeper" of the internet.The Justice Department alleges that Google, which is a division of Alphabet, paid billions of dollars to Apple and other mobile-phone manufacturers, as well as to web-browser companies, for those companies to maintain Google as their default search engine.

Those payments and similar arrangements have allowed Google to maintain a lock on the web-search market, which has long been the foundation of its business, according to the antitrust suit.

In one of the alleged arrangements described in the suit, Google requires device manufacturers to preload not just its search app, but five other apps, including Chrome, Google Play, Google Maps and YouTube. What's more, manufactures are required to pre-install the apps" in a manner that prevents the consumer from deleting them," according to the government's case.

 "For years, Google has entered into exclusionary agreements, including tying arrangements, and engaged in anti-competitive conduct to lock up distribution channels and block rivals," the Justice Department said in its antitrust complaint. "Two decades ago, Google became the darling of Silicon Valley as a scrappy start-up with an innovative way to search the emerging internet. That Google is long gone."

 Most of Google's services are offered for free in exchange for personal information that helps it sell its ads. Google insists that it holds no special power forcing people to use its free services or preventing them from going elsewhere.

 "This is a historic time for both federal and state antitrust authorities, as we work to protect competition and innovation in our technology markets," James, the attorney general of New York, said in her statement.

(Source: CBS News)