US federal regulators are preparing to issue court orders to Google and other companies as part of a probe into practices in Google's search engine business, US media report.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected to open a formal inquiry within the next several days, the Wall Street Journal said.

The FTC is looking at whether Google manipulates its search results to steer users to its own sites and services.

Google has not commented on the matter.

Google's competitors argue that the search giant, which handles roughly two out of every three internet searches in the US, has used its dominant standing in search to improperly promote its other products, like mapping, shopping and travel websites.

Lord knows Google is not known for its respect for privacy, but they have stomped the competition soundly over the years.  However, when you have become so huge that you are one of the first names on the Internet that comes to mind, it's going to be hard to prove a bias. And then there's this: as long as the other avenues are represented, at what level does it qualify as antitrust?