Italy’s competition authority has ramped up its investigation into Meta, with potential to slap interim restrictions on the company as concerns grow over whether WhatsApp is being used to choke off rival AI chatbot developers from accessing one of Europe’s most influential messaging platforms.
The escalation comes as regulators across Europe intensify scrutiny of Big Tech’s expansion into generative AI. Messaging apps like WhatsApp — with user bases that dwarf those of any single AI startup — are increasingly becoming the main entry points for next-generation chatbot services. That power has raised alarms among watchdogs who fear incumbents could tilt the playing field long before the market fully forms.
The Italian antitrust regulator said on Wednesday that it has widened its original investigation, opened in July, to cover new terms introduced for WhatsApp’s Business Platform and a fresh set of AI chatbot tools recently added to the app. These tools allow companies to automate responses and manage customer conversations — a highly valuable space for emerging AI players looking to scale.
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At the same time, the watchdog launched a separate process to impose possible interim measures. These temporary restrictions could include freezing the new terms, blocking further rollout of Meta AI inside WhatsApp, or limiting how deeply Meta can integrate its assistant while the probe continues.
Meta Pushes Back: “Unfounded Claims”
WhatsApp fired back quickly, dismissing the accusations and insisting it is not shutting competitors out.
“We strongly reject these unfounded claims,” a company spokesperson said. WhatsApp argued that its business API — the interface through which companies build services inside the app — “was never designed to be used for AI chatbots,” saying such use would cause “severe strain” on its systems.
The company is already fighting another dispute with the same regulator, which earlier alleged that Meta inserted its Meta AI assistant into the messaging platform without adequate user consent — a move officials worry could tilt the field against smaller players.
The fresh layer of scrutiny follows Meta’s decision to rewrite the WhatsApp Business Solution terms on October 15. The updated rules prohibit companies whose “main feature” is AI services from using WhatsApp at all, effectively shutting out dedicated chatbot firms. The new terms took immediate effect for new entrants and will extend to existing WhatsApp business users from January 15, 2026.
The Italian authority said the policy shift could severely restrict competition, pointing out that WhatsApp’s user base, more than 37 million people in Italy, gives it extraordinary leverage. Officials fear that once rival chatbots are blocked from the platform, consumers’ reluctance to switch habits could hand Meta an early and decisive lead in the AI assistant space.
WhatsApp disputed that view, insisting that the update “does not affect the tens of thousands of businesses who provide customer support and send relevant updates,” nor does it prevent companies from using “the AI assistant of their choice” to chat with customers.
If Meta is ultimately found to have abused a dominant position under European Union competition law, it could face fines of up to 10% of its global turnover. That puts potential penalties in the tens of billions of dollars.
The probe is expected to run long, with the authority scheduling completion for the end of 2026 — a timeline that reflects the complexity of defining competitive boundaries in a fast-changing AI market.
The episode adds to a growing pattern across Europe, where regulators are testing how existing antitrust tools can be applied to generative AI, particularly when incumbents control the platforms that developers depend on. WhatsApp’s reach and Meta’s ability to alter its terms unilaterally place the company at the center of these early battles.
Italian authorities appear determined to prevent what they see as a pre-emptive gatekeeping move by one of the world’s biggest tech firms. And with the threat of interim sanctions looming, Meta may soon have to defend not just its AI strategy, but the role of WhatsApp as a battleground for the next generation of digital services.