Italy orders Meta to let other AI apps work with WhatsApp

Italy's antitrust watchdog ordered Meta in December 2024 to stop blocking other AI chatbots from working with WhatsApp. Meta had been using these barriers to keep competitors out and protect its own position. Worth flagging: this ruling could change how Meta designs WhatsApp's paid features, especially around what services can connect to it. European regulators are increasingly pushing back against companies that lock users into their own ecosystem rather than letting other services plug in. The order reflects a broader shift toward forcing dominant platforms to open up.