Antitrust: Meta suspends conditions that exclude Ai competitors from Whatsapp
At a turning point in the investigation for abuse of dominant position on artificial intelligence chatbots. The company: 'We will appeal'
The Antitrust adopted the precautionary measure against Meta. The investigation had been initiated in July 2025 for alleged abuse of dominant position because the company integrated the Meta AI service into the messaging app WhatsApp, in a pre-eminent position compared to competitors' services.
The proceeding was objectively extended on 25 November, with the simultaneous initiation of the precautionary sub-proceeding, regarding the application of the new contractual conditions set out in the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms, introduced on 15 October and which will be fully effective by 15 January 2026. This was written by the Antitrust Authority, pointing out that these contractual terms completely exclude from the WhatsApp platform competitors of Meta AI in the market for AI chatbot services.
At the end of the proceeding for the adoption of precautionary measures pursuant to Article 14-bis of Law No. 287/1990, after the submission of the written pleadings and the hearing of the parties, reads the note, the Authority 'considered that the necessary requirements for the adoption of the precautionary measure in relation to the effects of the conduct on Italian territory are met'.
In fact, according to the Antitrust Authority, Meta's conduct appears to be abusive in nature, because it is likely to limit production, outlets or technical development in the market for Chatbot AI services, to the detriment of consumers. In addition, Meta's conduct is liable to cause serious and irreparable damage, during the time necessary for the investigation to take place, to the competitive dynamics in the market concerned, undermining its contestability. Therefore, the Authority has ordered Meta to immediately suspend the contractual terms of the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms in order to preserve access to the WhatsApp platform for Meta's competing AI chatbots'. The Italian Authority - concludes the note - is coordinating with the European Commission to ensure that Meta's conduct is addressed in the most effective manner.
Dry the reaction of the American tech company: 'The Competition Authority's decision is unfounded. The emergence of artificial intelligence chatbots on our Business APIs has put pressure on our systems, which were not designed to support this type of use. The Italian authority assumes that WhatsApp is somehow a de facto app store. The market access channels for AI companies are the app stores, their websites and industry partnerships, not the WhatsApp Business platform. We will appeal,' says a Meta spokesperson.
