The Italian antitrust authority has requested the U.S.-based metaverse platform company to suspend restrictions on competitors.

According to a report from the Italian news agency Ansa, the Italian antitrust authority, the Competition and Market Authority, on the 24th ordered the American metaverse platform company to suspend the execution of certain terms that may exclude the company's competitors' artificial intelligence chatbot services from the communication application WhatsApp. WhatsApp is an instant messaging application launched by Watts App, a subsidiary of the metaverse platform company. The Italian Competition and Market Authority said in a statement that its ongoing investigation is focusing on the metaverse platform's practice of integrating its own artificial intelligence service "Meta AI" into WhatsApp, potentially excluding competitors' artificial intelligence chatbot services. They are investigating whether this practice constitutes an abuse of the company's dominant market position. The statement suggests that this action may limit the output, market access, or technological development of the artificial intelligence chatbot service market, thereby harming consumer interests. The Italian Competition and Market Authority also stated that the behavior of the metaverse platform may cause "serious and irreversible damage" to the competition in the related markets.