Meta's addition of AI services to encrypted messaging platform WhatsApp has Italian officials suspecting the Silicon Valley giant may be abusing its dominant market position to push unwanted features on users.

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said in a [1]statement that Meta added its Meta AI service to WhatsApp "without any prior request from users" and that it was "placed in a prominent position on the screen and integrated into the search bar."

The AGCM believes these actions could be a violation of [2]article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

[3]

"By combining Meta AI with WhatsApp, Meta appears capable of channeling 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 AGCM said.

[4]

[5]

That imposition locks users into Meta's AI ecosystem, the AGCM added, further entrenching Meta's market dominance and limiting competition from [6]local AI firms . Meta has not directly disputed the possibility that integrating its AI into WhatsApp could confer market dominance.

"Offering free access to our AI features in WhatsApp gives millions of Italians the choice to use AI in a place they already know, trust and understand," a Meta spokesperson told The Register . In other words, what's wrong with integrating our AI into another app in our ecosystem if customers could benefit from the move?

[7]

Meta told us that it's confident its approach is compliant with the law. Nonetheless, "we are fully cooperating with the Italian competition authority," the company added.

Meta also took umbrage with the accusation that its AI is being imposed on WhatsApp users, describing the feature as not being constantly active, but rather an optional element that's not on until users engage with it.

Meta's position seems fair based on our interactions with the iOS version of WhatsApp. Yes, the Meta AI symbol is prominently placed in the lower-right corner of the app's Chat tab and the search field will optionally ask questions to Meta AI should the user choose to direct a query there, but, if you ignore those options, you won't have to deal with AI.

[8]

Meta AI's placement in WhatsApp. Note the circle lower-right and the search bar text – click to enlarge

From a user perspective, it feels much more like Meta just wanted to tack its AI chatbot interface onto WhatsApp as a way to get people to notice its existence. Even asking the AI questions via the search field simply opens a new chat with Meta AI where it proceeds like a normal chatbot discussion.

[9]Meta joins Google in ragequitting EU political ads over onerous regulations

[10]Europe's AI crackdown starts this week and Big Tech isn't happy

[11]Meta calls €200M EU fine over pay-or-consent ad model 'unlawful'

[12]Meta declines to abide by voluntary EU AI safety guidelines

Meta told us that even if a WhatsApp user has their Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to the messaging platform, Meta AI won't associate those platforms with what it sees on WhatsApp, so your identity is ostensibly safe.

It will be up to the AGCM to determine whether Meta did actually violate EU market dominance regulations by making that AI addition. According to officials, the investigation has already included "an inspection at the premises of Meta's Italian subsidiary" which the AGCM refused to comment on.

[13]

The Italian government told us only that were Meta to be found guilty of the TFEU, it could be forced to turn over as much as 10 percent of its global annual revenue. A spokesperson did not provide a timeline for the investigation. ®

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[1] https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2025/7/A576

[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A12008E102

[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIpBh9VLpITvPuNhV1B5lgAAAEA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIpBh9VLpITvPuNhV1B5lgAAAEA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIpBh9VLpITvPuNhV1B5lgAAAEA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/06/europe_international_digital_strategy_nothingburger/

[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIpBh9VLpITvPuNhV1B5lgAAAEA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[8] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/07/30/meta-ai-whatsapp.jpg

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/25/meta_eu_political_ads/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/30/eu_ai_act/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/03/meta_ec_dma_sulk/

[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/18/meta_declines_eu_ai_guidelines/

[13] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIpBh9VLpITvPuNhV1B5lgAAAEA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/