Italy orders Meta to allow rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp amid ongoing EU antitrust investigations.
Italian regulators have ordered Meta to open its WhatsApp platform to rival AI chatbots, following concerns that the company could be abusing its dominant position in the market.
Meta, which has integrated Meta AI across platforms including Facebook and Instagram, introduced new WhatsApp terms in October that take effect from January 15. Italy’s competition authority said these terms exclude competing AI services, giving Meta a potential commercial edge by locking in over three billion users.
The regulator, which launched a probe in July, said after reviewing submitted briefs that Meta’s conduct “may limit production, market access or technical developments in the AI Chatbot services market, to the detriment of consumers.”
An interim order requires Meta to suspend the exclusionary terms and allow rival AI chatbots to operate on WhatsApp while the investigation continues. Officials warned that Meta’s actions could cause serious and irreparable harm to competition.
The move comes as the European Commission opened an antitrust probe earlier this month to determine whether Meta’s AI rollout on WhatsApp violates EU competition rules. WhatsApp has described the claims as “baseless.”
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Meta is already under scrutiny in the EU under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Current investigations include allegations that Meta limits researcher access to public data, fails to provide user-friendly content flagging tools, and does not adequately address the addictive nature of Facebook and Instagram for children.
Additionally, Meta has appealed a €200 million fine imposed earlier this year under the DMA over its policy requiring users to choose between an ad-free subscription and a free, ad-supported service.
Italy’s regulator confirmed it will coordinate with the European Commission to ensure Meta’s practices are addressed effectively across the bloc.
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