Facebook may have a little something to worry about, because the European Commission is on their tail.

The European Commission sent a series of questionnaires out to competitors of Facebook and WhatsApp. Competitors mostly consisted of technology and online messaging companies. The commission wants to know more about the effect that the pending $19B acquisition could have on the competition.

Why the hassle? European telecommunications providers are concerned over Facebook taking over a dominant market position in instant messaging. Bear in mind, WhatsApp announced passing the 500K user mark just a few months ago. In the U.K alone, ¾ of Android users use the Facebook app, and over half of them use WhatsApp, according to a Nielsen review. What about other apps, such as Skype and Viber? Only 16% of them use Skype, and only 12% use Viber.

The questionnaires themselves probed how competitors of Facebook and WhatsApp use and manage their personal data. I’m guessing this could be a part of a larger review, which would help determine how the competition law of the European Union could be applied.

This won’t be the first time European authorities stepped in to review instant messaging and video messaging acquisitions. They previously did so when Microsoft was in the works to purchase Skype. The only new aspect here is that none of it has ever been done in the context of social media. This explains why personal data and privacy weren’t taken into account before, but it’s beginning to look that that will change.

Though their concerns are valid, it may get tricky for the European Commission to cry foul over the upcoming acquisition. This is primarily because the world of online messaging and communications is a fast-paced one, with countless markets to consider.

Have a look at this vid to learn more about the European Commission questioning competitors of Facebook: