DuckDuckGo founder says Google’s phone and manufacturing partnerships thwart competition

By PAUL WISEMAN and MICHAEL LIEDTKE
AP Business Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The founder of the small search engine company DuckDuckGo is testifying against Google in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter of a century. Gabriel Weinberg testified Thursday that Google’s deals with phone companies and equipment manufacturers make it hard for his company to compete. That’s because Google has negotiated contracts to make its product the default search option on many smartphones and other devices. The government is arguing in U.S. District Court that Google has smothered competition by paying companies such as Apple and Verizon to lock in its search engine as the first one users see on many laptops and smartphones.