US EditionMeta faces Italian competition investigation over WhatsApp AI chatbot
ITALY, JUL 30 – The Italian Competition Authority is probing Meta for integrating AI in WhatsApp without user consent, raising concerns over market dominance and potential fines up to 10% of global turnover.
- On Tuesday, Italian antitrust officials raided Meta's Italian offices to investigate alleged abuse of dominance in integrating AI into WhatsApp without user consent.
- The investigation followed Meta's preinstallation of its AI chatbot on WhatsApp since March 2025, which the Italian authority suspects forces users to access AI services, possibly harming competitors.
- Meta delayed the AI rollout due to regulatory uncertainty and data privacy concerns raised by the Irish data protection authority, with similar scrutiny in other European countries.
- AGCM stated the AI icon is prominently placed and linked to WhatsApp’s search bar, while Meta claims the AI is optional and inactive unless users engage with it.
- Meta defends free AI access in WhatsApp and is fully cooperating with the investigation, which could result in penalties up to 10 percent of Meta's global revenue if violations are confirmed.
62 Articles
62 Articles
The Meta faces a new regulatory framework in Italy. The country's competition authority launched an investigation into the integration of the company's artificial intelligence assistant, Meta AI, in the public...
Meta is under surveillance in Italy for possible abuse at WhatsApp-KI. The antitrust authority investigates market distortion by Meta AI.
The Italian antitrust authority stated that Marc Zuckerberg's tech company Meta may have violated EU competition law, which is about pre-installed artificial intelligence in the online service Whatsapp.
Italy Opens Antitrust Probe Into Meta Over AI Integration in WhatsApp - teleSUR English
Several Meta companies are under antitrust investigation for abuse of dominant position in artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, Italy’s Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) announced that several Meta companies are under antitrust investigation for “alleged abuse of dominant position in artificial intelligence,” after preinstalling their AI service in the WhatsApp application without users’ consent. RELATED: U.S. Tech Giant Meta Bans Russian …
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