Rome (AFP) – Italy said Wednesday it opened a probe into social media giant Meta for potentially breaking EU competition laws by installing its AI tool into WhatsApp. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Several months ago, its Meta AI tool appeared on the screens of the WhatsApp messaging service.
“In March 2025, Meta, which holds a dominant position in the market for consumer communications apps, decided to pre-install its artificial intelligence service on the WhatsApp app,” Italy’s antitrust body said in a statement. “In doing so, Meta may be ‘imposing’ the use of its chatbot and AI assistance services on its users.”
It said merging Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta could be “channelling its customer base into the emerging market, not through merit-based competition, but by ‘imposing’ the availability of the two distinct services upon users, potentially harming competitors.”
The antitrust authority said it carried out an inspection of the premises of Meta’s Italian subsidiary on Tuesday along with Italy’s Financial Police. It also said it was investigating the company “in close cooperation with the competent departments of the European Commission.”
Italian authorities said there is a risk users could become “locked in” or “functionally dependent on Meta AI,” as “by using the information provided over time, it appears the responses generated by the service become increasingly useful and relevant.”
© 2024 AFP
