US-based technology giant Meta Platforms is facing an intensifying antitrust crackdown, particularly from the European Union (EU), concerning its artificial intelligence (AI) features integrated into WhatsApp. According to a Bloomberg report from Thursday, December 4, 2025, the EU is preparing to launch an antitrust investigation as early as this week. This probe will operate under traditional antitrust rules, examining potential anticompetitive effects arising from the Meta AI integration within WhatsApp services. While the investigation targets the rollout of Meta AI, which began in March 2025, specific aspects under scrutiny remain unclear. This follows an earlier action in November, when Italian antitrust regulators broadened their own investigation into Meta's use of AI tools in WhatsApp, focusing on alleged abuse of a dominant market position in AI chatbot services.

The European Union has significantly increased its pressure on major technology firms, actively seeking to identify and address potential market dominance or abuse among companies that hold substantial shares in the digital ecosystem. As part of these efforts, the EU introduced its Digital Markets Act, which establishes clear guidelines for major tech companies to curb anti-competitive behavior. Notably, Meta was subject to a $233 million penalty in April 2025 for allegedly breaching this act. Furthermore, in November 2024, the company was directed to pay 798 million euros due to allegations of market dominance abuse related to attaching its Facebook Marketplace service to its social media platform. The European Commission has declined to comment on the ongoing developments, and Meta has not responded to related queries.

In contrast to the EU's aggressive stance, Meta Platforms recently achieved a significant antitrust victory against the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on November 18, 2025. A federal judge ruled that the social media tech giant does not hold a monopoly in the US market. Judge Boasberg explicitly stated, “Meta holds no monopoly in the relevant market,” thereby rejecting the FTC's claims that Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat operate in a distinct market separate from video-first platforms. The FTC had alleged that Meta illegally maintained dominance through its 2012 acquisition of Instagram and its 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp. However, the court concluded that the FTC’s market definition no longer accurately reflects contemporary American social media usage. The ruling also highlighted that users now spend only 17% of their time on Facebook viewing content from friends and just 7% on Instagram, suggesting a diversified media consumption landscape.