Overview

• Italy’s antitrust authority has launched a formal investigation into Meta Platforms over allegations that bundling its AI assistant into WhatsApp abuses its market dominance.
• Officials carried out inspections at Meta’s Italian subsidiary in Rome with assistance from the special antitrust unit of Italy’s tax police.
• The probe centers on claims that integrating Meta AI without user consent could steer users toward its services and harm competing platforms.
• The inquiry is being conducted in close cooperation with relevant European Commission departments under EU competition rules.
• Companies found to have abused a dominant position can face fines of up to 10% of their worldwide turnover.