Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has made a significant policy adjustment. The tech giant will now exclude Italy from its upcoming ban on third-party AI chatbots operating on WhatsApp. This decision comes directly in response to an interim order issued by Italy's competition authority.
Compliance with Italian Antitrust Authority
Last week, Meta sent a notice to developers confirming this exemption. The company is complying with the interim order from the Italian Competition and Market Authority, known as AGCM. This regulatory body forced Meta to suspend the ban within Italy last month. The authority is conducting a full investigation into potential market abuse.
WhatsApp Terms of Service Update
WhatsApp's updated terms of service, set to take effect on January 15, contain a crucial exemption. Phone numbers with the Italian country code +39 will not be subject to the new restrictions. The policy specifically prohibits AI companies from using the WhatsApp Business Solution if artificial intelligence represents their primary offering.
Meta first announced this policy change in October 2025. The move effectively cleared the competitive field for Meta's own virtual assistant, called Meta AI, to dominate the WhatsApp platform. This strategic decision has drawn criticism from competitors and regulatory scrutiny across Europe.
Industry Reactions and Consequences
Marvin von Hagen, co-founder and CEO of The Interaction Company based in California, expressed strong disappointment. He told Reuters that Meta's approach of enforcing the new WhatsApp API policy while only carving out exceptions for Italian numbers is deeply problematic. The policy effectively shuts out AI rivals like Poke.com from the platform.
The practical consequences are already becoming apparent. OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has served approximately 50 million users on WhatsApp, will cease operations by the January deadline. Microsoft has also announced it will withdraw its Copilot assistant from the platform in response to the new restrictions.
European Regulatory Landscape
Italy's antitrust authority is not alone in examining Meta's policy. The European Commission has launched its own formal antitrust probe into the same WhatsApp API policy. However, the European Commission has not yet issued any interim order similar to Italy's AGCM. This creates a patchwork regulatory environment across the continent.
Meta's Defense of the Policy
Meta has consistently defended its policy change. The company previously dismissed European probes as baseless. Meta argues that the recent surge of third-party AI chatbots places excessive strain on systems that were not originally designed to support them.
The Facebook-parent company maintains that businesses can still utilize artificial intelligence for secondary functions on WhatsApp. Automated customer support represents one acceptable use case. However, AI cannot serve as the core product offering for businesses using the WhatsApp Business Solution under the new rules.
This ongoing situation highlights the complex intersection of technology innovation, market competition, and regulatory oversight. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into messaging platforms, these conflicts between tech giants, smaller innovators, and government authorities will likely continue to evolve.
