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Italy Expands Antitrust Probe Into Meta’s WhatsApp AI Integration

By  |  November 26, 2025

Italy’s competition regulator has widened its scrutiny of Meta Platforms over concerns that the tech giant may be unfairly leveraging its powerful position in the messaging market through its use of artificial intelligence within WhatsApp.

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    The Italian antitrust authority, AGCM, said the investigation has been extended to include Meta’s new WhatsApp Business Solution terms, which were rolled out on October 15. The authority believes the updated conditions and the introduction of new AI-driven interaction features inside the app could impede fair competition in the market for AI chatbot services, according to News.AZ.

    Regulators are examining whether these changes could restrict competitors’ ability to enter or grow in the space, reduce market choice, or hold back technological progress in messaging-based AI tools. Per News.AZ, which cited reporting from Reuters, the watchdog is also evaluating the possibility of imposing interim measures while the inquiry proceeds, focusing on the business terms and the incorporation of Meta’s AI capabilities in WhatsApp.

    Read more: Internal Meta Documents Spotlight Regulatory Void Around Fraudulent Social Media Ads

    Italy initially launched its probe in July 2025 after raising concerns that Meta may have violated European Union competition laws by integrating its AI assistant into WhatsApp without first securing clear consent from users.

    Source: News.AZ