Overview
- Italy’s antitrust authority issued an interim order on Dec. 24 requiring Meta to lift WhatsApp Business terms that would exclude competing AI assistants while the probe continues.
- The contested policy, introduced in October and slated to take effect Jan. 15, bans general‑purpose chatbots from using the WhatsApp API but leaves customer service bots for businesses unaffected.
- AGCM said the terms appear capable of limiting output, market access, or technical development in AI chatbot services, with potential harm to consumers.
- The watchdog said it is coordinating with the European Commission, which launched a parallel investigation covering the European Economic Area earlier in December.
- Meta called the decision “fundamentally flawed,” argued that third‑party chatbots strain systems not designed to support them, and signaled plans to challenge the order.