Meta Exempts Italy From WhatsApp Ban on Rival AI Chatbots After Antitrust Order

Meta Platforms will exclude Italy from its planned ban on rival artificial intelligence chatbots on WhatsApp, following an order from the country’s antitrust authority, according to a notice sent to AI providers and developers and seen by Reuters.

Italy’s competition watchdog, AGCM, last month instructed Meta to suspend the proposed ban while it investigates the company for a suspected abuse of market power, after complaints from rival AI providers. At the European level, the European Commission is also examining whether Meta violated competition rules by restricting access for third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp, although it has not imposed interim measures.

Blocking rival AI providers from WhatsApp could significantly benefit Meta’s own chatbot and virtual assistant, Meta AI, which was integrated into the messaging platform last year. Critics argue that limiting competitors’ access would further strengthen Meta’s position in AI-powered consumer services.

In its notice to developers circulated earlier this month, Meta said that phone numbers with an Italian country code (+39) are currently exempt from WhatsApp’s updated terms of service, in order to comply with the Italian regulator’s order. The revised terms are scheduled to take effect on January 15 for users outside Italy.

Meta declined to comment on the changes, referring instead to a previous statement that said the rapid emergence of AI chatbots has placed strain on WhatsApp’s systems, which were not originally designed to support such services. The Italian antitrust authority also declined to comment.

The Italian carve-out drew sharp criticism from rivals. The Interaction Company of California, which developed the AI assistant Poke.com and filed complaints with both Italian and EU regulators, said Meta’s response was insufficient.

“Meta’s move to keep enforcing its new WhatsApp API policy—shutting out AI rivals like Poke.com while only carving out +39 numbers—is deeply disappointing,” said Marvin von Hagen, the company’s co-founder and chief executive. He added that the Italian authority had already found Meta’s conduct to be, at first glance, anti-competitive under EU law, and urged the European Commission to adopt interim measures across the bloc.