Italy Probes Meta for Alleged WhatsApp AI Abuse

Rome, Italy – Italy’s antitrust authority has launched a notable investigation into Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, over accusations that it has exploited its dominant market position.The probe centers on the alleged unauthorized pre-installation of Meta’s artificial intelligence tool within the widely-used WhatsApp messaging service.

The Italian watchdog contends that by integrating its Meta AI assistant into WhatsApp’s interface, the tech giant may have contravened European Union competition regulations. Specifically, the authority expressed concern that Meta’s actions could have occurred without obtaining explicit user consent, potentially steering individuals towards Meta’s proprietary AI services.

Since March 2025, Meta AI, which offers chatbot functionalities and virtual assistant capabilities, has been a visible component of the WhatsApp experience, notably appearing in the app’s search bar. Regulators are examining whether this integration unfairly favors Meta’s own AI offerings, thereby disadvantaging competitors and creating a “lock-in” effect for users within the Meta ecosystem.

This investigation underscores a growing global trend of regulatory bodies scrutinizing the practices of major tech companies as they expand their AI capabilities and integrate them into existing popular platforms. The core issue at play is the potential for dominant platforms too leverage their user base and existing infrastructure to cement their position in emerging markets like artificial intelligence,potentially stifling innovation and consumer choice.As AI becomes increasingly embedded in daily digital life, ensuring fair competition and transparent data usage remains a critical challenge for regulators worldwide. The outcome of this Italian probe could set a precedent for how similar integrations are handled across the European union and beyond.

What specific aspects of WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy triggered the Italian Garante’s inquiry regarding AI feature integration?

Meta Under Italian Probe Over WhatsApp AI Feature

The Investigation: Data Privacy Concerns & AI Integration

Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, launched an investigation into Meta (formerly Facebook) on July 29, 2025, concerning its recent integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) features within WhatsApp. The core of the probe revolves around potential violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and concerns regarding the transparency of data usage related to these new AI capabilities. specifically, the Garante is scrutinizing how Meta obtains consent for processing user data to power these AI-driven functionalities.

The investigation was triggered by reports and user complaints regarding the unclear communication surrounding the changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, coinciding with the rollout of AI features. Users expressed confusion about how their data is being utilized for AI training and personalization. This lack of clarity directly contravenes GDPR principles,wich emphasize informed consent and data minimization.

What AI Features are Under Scrutiny?

Several recently launched or tested AI features within WhatsApp are central to the Italian investigation:

AI-Powered Chat Filters: These filters categorize chats (e.g.,personal,work,low priority) using AI,aiming to improve user organization. The garante is questioning whether users fully understand the data processing involved in this categorization.

AI Stickers & Image Generation: WhatsApp’s experimentation with AI-generated stickers and image editing tools raises concerns about the use of user-provided images for AI model training.

AI-Driven Message Summaries: The ability for WhatsApp to summarize lengthy chat threads using AI is also under review, with the focus on how the AI accesses and processes the content of private conversations.

Meta AI Integration: The broader integration of meta AI across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger is being examined for its overall impact on user privacy.

GDPR Compliance & User Consent: Key Issues

The Italian data protection authority is focusing on several key areas of GDPR compliance:

1. Transparency: Is Meta providing sufficiently clear and accessible information to users about how their data is used for AI purposes? The Garante believes the current disclosures are inadequate.
2. Consent: Is the consent obtained from users for data processing valid under GDPR? The investigation will determine if consent is freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.
3. Data Minimization: Is meta collecting and processing only the data necessary for the AI features to function, or is it collecting excessive data?
4. Data Security: Are adequate security measures in place to protect user data used for AI training and operation?

Potential Consequences for Meta

If the Garante finds Meta in violation of GDPR, the consequences could be important:

Fines: Meta could face substantial fines, potentially reaching up to 4% of its global annual turnover.

Data Processing Restrictions: The Garante could order Meta to suspend or modify its data processing activities related to the AI features in Italy.

Reputational Damage: The investigation and any resulting penalties could damage meta’s reputation and erode user trust.

Broader EU Scrutiny: This Italian probe could prompt similar investigations by other European data protection authorities, potentially leading to a wider crackdown on AI practices.

Meta’s Response & Previous Data privacy Issues

Meta has stated it is indeed cooperating fully with the Italian investigation and believes its data processing practices are compliant with GDPR. The company emphasizes its commitment to user privacy and transparency. However, Meta has faced numerous data privacy challenges in the past, including:

Cambridge Analytica Scandal (2018): The misuse of Facebook user data by Cambridge Analytica led to significant public outcry and regulatory scrutiny.

Privacy Policy Updates (2021): Changes to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, requiring users to share more data with Facebook, sparked controversy and prompted investigations by multiple data protection authorities.

EU-US Data Privacy Framework: Ongoing challenges to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which governs the transfer of personal data between the two regions, continue to create uncertainty for Meta and other tech companies.

Privacy-Preserving AI: Developing AI models that can function effectively without requiring access to vast amounts of personal data.Techniques like federated learning and differential privacy are gaining traction.

Explainable AI (XAI): Making AI decision-making processes more obvious and understandable to users.

Robust Data Governance: Implementing strong data governance frameworks to ensure responsible data collection, processing, and usage.

Proactive Compliance: Tech companies need to proactively address data privacy concerns and demonstrate compliance with regulations like GDPR before launching new AI features.

GDPR Official Website: https://gdpr-info.eu/

Italian Data Protection authority (Garante): https://www.garanteprivacy.it/

Meta Business: https://business.meta.com/ (for information on Meta’s business practices)

* TechCrunch – Meta Faces Italian Probe Over WhatsApp AI feature: (Exmaple of news coverage – replace with actual link when available)