Italy watchdog orders Meta to halt WhatsApp terms barring rival AI chatbots: Report

Italy’s antitrust authority (AGCM) on Wednesday ordered Meta Platforms to suspend contractual ⁠terms that could shut rival AI chatbots out of WhatsApp, as it investigates the U.S. tech group for suspected abuse of a dominant ‌position.

A spokesperson ‌for Meta called the decision “fundamentally flawed,” and said the emergence of AI chatbots “put ‌a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support”.

“We will appeal,” the spokesperson added.

The move is the latest in a string by European regulators against Big Tech firms, as the EU…