Italian Regulators Force WhatsApp to Open Doors to Rival AI Chatbots

Italy's competition watchdog just dropped a bombshell on Meta's messaging fortress—and it could reshape how billions chat.

The Order: Break the Walls

Regulators have ordered WhatsApp to make its platform interoperable with competing AI chatbots. The move targets Meta's dominant position, forcing its flagship messaging service to play nice with rivals it previously kept locked out. No more walled garden—at least, not in Italy.

Why This Cuts Deep

This isn't just about features; it's about foundational control. WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption and closed network have been its moat. Mandatory interoperability punches a hole in that defense, potentially letting users access third-party AI services without leaving the app. Think of it as a regulatory crowbar prying open a digital ecosystem.

The Ripple Effect

Watch for dominoes. Other EU regulators, already skeptical of Big Tech's grip, could follow suit. The precedent is set: dominant messaging platforms can be forced into digital détente. For AI startups, it's a sudden, unexpected backdoor into a user base of over two billion.

For users, it promises choice—maybe a smarter chatbot from a plucky startup alongside WhatsApp's own. For Meta, it's a compliance headache and a strategic blow.

The Finance Jab

Meanwhile, in a boardroom far away, a Meta exec is probably calculating the compliance cost against the potential revenue loss—a classic tech tango where regulation meets the bottom line. Nothing opens doors faster than a regulator's mandate, except maybe a plummeting stock price.

The final word? Tech monopolies are facing a new reality: your platform might not be yours to keep closed forever. The gates are creaking open.

Meta’s conduct may threaten competition

The Italian Competition Authority, known as AGCM revealed on Wednesday that the order follows an investigation to assess the integration of Meta’s own services into WhatsApp. The investigation is still ongoing, according to the AGCM.

The authority expressed concerns that Meta’s behavior might threaten competition. As such, the interim order is meant to preserve access to the WhatsApp platform for the social media giant’s AI competitors as investigations into the matter continue.

Meta has previously indicated that it was liaising with the authority on the investigation, adding that the WhatsApp application programming interface was never designed to be used for AI chatbots. But the authority is positive that Meta’s conduct may pose a serious threat to competition with the social networking giant abusing its dominant position.

“Meta’s conduct appears to constitute an abuse, since it may limit production, market access or technical developments in the AI chatbot services market, to the detriment of consumers.”

AGCM.

Earlier this year, the AGCM launched an investigation to evaluate whether AI features that Meta had introduced on WhatsApp amounted to an abuse of a dominant position.

Last month, the authority widened the scope of the probe to include a change in WhatsApp’s business terms excluding general purpose AI chatbots from the platform, adding that the social media firm’s new rules could call for interim measures.

The AGCM also revealed on Wednesday that the conditions for adopting interim measures had been met. The authority also added that it was coordinating with the EU antitrust officials on the issue. Meta is already under EU probe over the matter, in one of the several antitrust cases against US tech giants, including Google and Apple.

As previously reported by the Cryptopolitan, Google was earlier this year slapped with a €2.95 billion fine in an ad case, in which the EU alleges the tech giant abused its dominant position. The case is considered one of Brussels’ biggest punishments.

During the same month, Meta was also fined €200 million for breaching obligations to give consumers the choice of service that uses less of their personal data.

Fines for breaking the EU’s antitrust rules can be as much as 10% of the company’s annual revenue. For this current case, there are reportedly no dates set for the antitrust investigation to close, but prior cases have run for years.

Join a premium crypto trading community free for 30 days - normally $100/mo.