Antitrust investigates Meta

Source: Corriere della Sera – "WhatsApp, Antitrust investigates Meta: abuse of dominant position", 27 November 2025

The new frontier of digital power: the WhatsApp ecosystem under scrutiny

Italy’s Competition Authority has expanded its investigation into Meta, focusing on the new contractual terms of WhatsApp Business Solution, the version of the platform used by companies. At the heart of the issue lies the concern that Meta may further strengthen its control over the messaging market and AI-based services by using WhatsApp as the privileged infrastructure for distributing them.In a context where WhatsApp is deeply embedded in the digital communications of citizens and businesses, any change in its terms of use risks reshaping the entire competitive balance of the sector.

Exclusive clauses and the risk of excluding competitors

The new terms, in force since 15 October, prohibit external providers from developing or offering chatbots or automation systems integrated with WhatsApp unless authorized by Meta.According to the Antitrust Authority, this restriction could create a substantial barrier to access: if a company wished to integrate an AI assistant through WhatsApp, it would be required to do so exclusively through Meta.If confirmed, this constraint would reinforce Meta’s dominant position in a segment — automated conversational services — that is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.

The AI factor: from messaging service to infrastructure control

The introduction of MetaAI within WhatsApp, though implemented gradually, has been interpreted by regulators as further evidence of the company’s intention to turn the platform into a mandatory entry point for conversational AI.From the Authority’s perspective, the combination of platform scale, AI integration and contractual restrictions could lead to a cumulative exclusionary effect.If Meta controls the channel, the tool and the infrastructure simultaneously, competition risks becoming a mere formality.

Meta’s reply: “Unfounded accusations”

The company rejects all allegations, arguing that the new rules do not restrict competition but instead improve security, reliability and service quality. Meta also claims that its updates have already helped thousands of companies strengthen customer relations and denies any intention to monopolize the conversational AI market.However, given a platform used by more than two billion people, even a seemingly technical adjustment can have significant market consequences.

A structural problem: digital infrastructures too powerful to be neutral

The central issue is not the alleged ill intent of a single company, but the structure of the digital market itself, where those who control communication infrastructures also shape innovation, access and competition.The concentration of messaging, AI, business services and automation within a single platform creates a closed ecosystem capable of imposing industry standards long before real competition emerges.The WhatsApp-AI case highlights a broader challenge: the future of digital competition will depend on institutional oversight of how platforms integrate strategic technologies.

Why this matters for citizens — and how Algopolio can help

Cases like this demonstrate how deeply major platforms influence everyday life:

they determine how we communicate,what services we can access,which alternatives are genuinely available,and how our digital identity is governed by private actors with global reach.

When infrastructure, service and market boundaries overlap, individuals and businesses risk losing autonomy without realizing it.

Algopolio was created precisely to act within these opaque spaces of the digital ecosystem.The association provides support to individuals harmed by platform abuses, offers legal and technical guidance on privacy, data, algorithms and competition, critically examines power asymmetries between users and Big Tech, and promotes a more informed digital culture with enforceable rights.

Anyone experiencing an imbalance of power with a platform — whether Meta, Google or any other operator — can turn to Algopolio for assessment, protection tools and concrete support.Because digital power must not be passively endured: it must be understood, governed and, when necessary, challenged.