ISTANBUL
Türkiye’s Competition Board has launched an investigation into Meta’s artificial intelligence practices and imposed an interim measure on the company, the Turkish Competition Authority announced Friday.
The investigation covers the economic entity comprising Meta Platforms, Inc., Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, WhatsApp LLC, and Meta Platforms Istanbul Bilisim Hizmetleri Ltd.
The authority said the decision followed a preliminary inquiry into whether Meta violated Article 6 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition.
The probe will assess whether Meta breached competition rules by integrating its Meta AI service into WhatsApp and restricting third-party AI providers from offering services through the messaging platform.
The Competition Board decided on May 14 to open a formal investigation.
Interim measure imposed
During the preliminary inquiry, the authority said it found serious indications that Meta’s practices prevented third-party general-purpose generative AI chatbots and assistants from providing services through WhatsApp as a primary platform, potentially constituting a violation of competition rules.
To prevent irreparable harm pending a final decision, the board imposed an interim measure.
Under the ruling, Meta must establish conditions enabling third-party general-purpose generative AI chatbots and assistants to provide services through WhatsApp as a primary platform.
The authority said those conditions must not create de facto or economic obstacles that would hinder the provision of such services.
If Meta fails to comply with the obligations set out in the interim measure within one month of receiving the reasoned decision, the company will face administrative fines.
