Meta’s (META) shares appeared rather dull early Wednesday as Italy’s competition watchdog broadened its investigation into the U.S. tech heavyweight’s addition of AI tools to the messaging service WhatsApp.
TipRanks Black Friday Sale
- Claim 60% off TipRanks Premium for the data-backed insights and research tools you need to invest with confidence.
- Subscribe to TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks and see our data in action through our high-performing model portfolio - now also 60% off
The action adds to Meta’s regulatory troubles in the EU, where it is bracing for stricter content moderation rules and has been facing a child safety investigation.
Italy Expands Meta AI Probe
Italian competition authority AGCM has been investigating Meta since July to determine whether it abused its dominant position in the social media market by introducing its AI feature, Meta AI, to WhatsApp without user consent. The watchdog believes this likely violates EU rules and might be unfair for healthy market competition.
As part of the wider probe, AGCM is now adding the business solutions terms introduced by Meta to WhatsApp in mid-October to the investigation. The terms guide how businesses and developers use WhatsApp’s business features, including the AI features.
The regulator believes that both moves could limit market access. AGCM also wants to protect other companies’ ability to innovate in the AI chatbot market.
Meta Defends AI Tool Integration
Meta has previously emphasized that the tool was introduced to Italian users to provide them with access to AI features in an environment they are already familiar with. The U.S. tech giant has also noted its cooperation with authorities on the investigation.
Meta launched Meta AI in the U.S. in September 2023. The core AI chatbot is integrated across the company’s family of apps, including Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook.
However, Meta only began to roll out the tool in Italy and the wider EU region in March 2025 due to regulatory delays and concerns about how user data is used in the training of its AI models.
Is Meta a Good Stock to Buy Now?
On Wall Street, Meta’s shares currently boast a Strong Buy consensus rating. This is based on 35 Buys, six Holds, and one Sell assigned by 42 analysts over the past three months.
At $838.14, the average META price target indicates almost 32% upside from the current levels.
