Türkiye’s competition regulator has opened a formal investigation into U.S. technology company Meta over concerns that the integration of its Meta AI assistant into WhatsApp may undermine fair competition in the artificial intelligence sector.
In a statement released on June 5, the Turkish Competition Authority said preliminary findings suggested that rival generative AI chatbots and digital assistants may not be able to operate on WhatsApp as easily or effectively as Meta’s own service.
Authorities will examine whether Meta is using WhatsApp’s extensive user network to favor Meta AI and gain an unfair advantage in the growing AI market.
As part of the proceedings, the Competition Board imposed interim measures requiring Meta to ensure that competing AI providers are not placed at a practical or economic disadvantage when offering their services through WhatsApp.
The company has been given one month to comply with the order, with potential administrative penalties for non-compliance.
The investigation will assess whether Meta’s business practices limit consumer choice by restricting access to alternative AI assistants on the messaging platform. Regulators say effective competition could allow users to interact with a variety of AI services through WhatsApp rather than relying primarily on Meta AI.
The case is the latest in a series of antitrust probes involving Meta in Türkiye. Turkish authorities have previously examined the company’s handling of data and platform integration, including the connection between Instagram and Threads, which led Meta to suspend Threads operations in the country in 2024.
