Italy’s antitrust watchdog orders Meta to suspend WhatsApp terms amid concerns the company is sidelining rival AI chatbots and distorting Europe’s emerging AI market.
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| The Italian competition authority’s action against Meta highlights Europe’s tougher stance on Big Tech as AI becomes central to digital platforms. Image: CH |
ROME, Italy — December 25, 2025:
Italy’s antitrust authority has moved to curb Meta Platforms’ influence over the fast-expanding AI chatbot market, ordering the U.S. technology group to suspend contractual terms linked to WhatsApp that regulators say could shut out rival services. The decision places one of Europe’s most powerful digital platforms at the center of a broader debate over how artificial intelligence should be governed before market dominance becomes entrenched.
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) argues that Meta’s updated contractual conditions for WhatsApp’s business platform effectively exclude competing AI chatbots, raising concerns that the company is using its control over a dominant messaging service to shape competition in a neighboring market. According to the watchdog, such conduct could restrict output, limit market access, and slow technical development—outcomes that would ultimately reduce consumer choice.
Meta has strongly criticized the order, calling it “fundamentally flawed” and pointing to the rapid evolution of AI technologies, which it says are placing pressure on systems never designed to support them. The company has indicated it will appeal, framing the dispute as a regulatory overreach that risks undermining innovation at a critical moment for the sector.
The case fits squarely within Europe’s increasingly assertive approach to regulating Big Tech. EU policymakers have repeatedly warned that digital gatekeepers could leverage existing dominance to control emerging technologies such as AI, prompting authorities to intervene earlier than they might have in the past. The Italian probe, first launched in July and later expanded to include Meta’s revised contractual terms, reflects that preventive mindset.
Coordination between the AGCM and the European Commission further raises the stakes. With EU antitrust regulators launching a parallel investigation, the outcome could influence how AI services are allowed to integrate with dominant platforms across the bloc. Any eventual ruling may set a precedent for how competition law is applied to AI-enabled products tied to widely used digital infrastructure.
The dispute also underscores a widening transatlantic gap. While European regulators emphasize market fairness and consumer protection, U.S. technology companies—and political leaders such as President Donald Trump—have criticized Europe’s tougher stance as potentially hostile to innovation. As AI becomes a core feature of global digital competition, Meta’s clash with Italian and EU authorities may signal how sharply those regulatory philosophies are set to diverge.