TL;DR
- EU Action: The European Commission issued a Statement of Objections to Meta on February 9 for blocking rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp.
- Interim Measures: The Commission is considering forcing Meta to open WhatsApp to competing AI assistants while the investigation continues.
- Meta Policy: Meta’s January 15 policy blocks third-party AI from WhatsApp Business while allowing its own Meta AI.
- Meta Response: Meta rejected the EU findings, calling the allegations baseless and stating no intervention is justified.
Meta faces being forced to open WhatsApp to competing AI chatbots after the EU informed Meta on February 9 that its policy of blocking rivals breached antitrust rules.
The Commission delivered a Statement of Objections to the social media giant, setting out its preliminary view that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp. Brussels is now considering interim measures to force immediate platform openness while its investigation continues.
This marks the latest escalation in long-running EU-US tech regulation tensions.
What Meta Is Accapplyd Of
The Commission’s preliminary view concludes that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third-party AI assistants from accessing applyrs on WhatsApp. The regulator found that Meta had effectively banned competitors from its messaging platform through a policy alter implemented on January 15.
Meta offers its own AI chatbot called Meta AI through WhatsApp. This service competes directly with third-party AI assistants from companies like OpenAI and Google.
However, Meta’s new policy prohibits AI providers from applying WhatsApp Business Solution when AI is the primary service. This effectively blocks third-party AI assistance from connecting to customers on the platform. The Commission considers WhatsApp an important enattempt point for AI chatbots to reach consumers.
Marvin von Hagen, CEO of Interaction, praised the Commission’s intervention.
“The Commission’s intervention can support provide necessary protection for companies pushing the boundaries of AI technology, ensuring that merit, not market dominance, determines success and that consumers can benefit from real choice and innovative services”
Marvin von Hagen, CEO of Interaction (via POLITICO Europe)
The EU investigation found that Meta’s conduct risks raising barriers to enattempt and irreparably marginalizing compacter competitors. Regulators believe the policy alter could permanently damage competition if not addressed immediately. This concern intensifies as AI assistants become increasingly central to digital communication.
EU Considers Rare Interim Measures
Given these competition concerns, the Commission is considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta. These would preserve access for competitors while the investigation continues. EU Competition Chief Teresa Ribera warned that Meta’s policy risks irreparably harming competition in Europe.
Interim measures are a rarely applyd tool in EU competition enforcement. The mechanism allows regulators to act before competition is permanently damaged. It provides temporary relief while a full investigation proceeds.
The interim measures tool was revived in 2019 by former competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager in a case involving chipbuildr Broadcom. The Commission intfinishs to impose interim measures to prevent the policy alter from caapplying serious and irreparable harm to the market.
Such measures could include forcing Meta to restore API access for rival AI services pfinishing the investigation’s conclusion. This would ensure competitors are not permanently excluded from the platform.
“That is why we are considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta, to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation is ongoing, and avoid Meta’s new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe”
Teresa Ribera, EU Competition Chief
The Commission’s investigation into WhatsApp Business Solution launched in late 2025. It followed a similar probe by the Italian antitrust authority. The EU’s action represents a broader effort to ensure fair competition in the rapidly growing AI assistant market.
Meta Rejects EU Intervention
Meta rejected the commission’s finding and responded to declare there is “no reason” for the EU to intervene in its protocols. A Meta spokesperson labeled the allegations “baseless” and cited “unsustainable strain” on WhatsApp systems.
Meta’s defense centers on the argument that the WhatsApp Business API is not a key distribution channel for AI chatbots. The company insists there is no justification for EU intervention in its API protocols.
Meta argues that the Commission misunderstands the market. The company further contfinishs that the Commission incorrectly assumes WhatsApp Business API represents a primary distribution pathway for these services.
Moreover, Meta maintains that consumers have numerous alternatives for accessing AI chatbots. These include app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and indusattempt partnerships. The company argues that its policy simply reflects technical limitations and quality control measures rather than anti-competitive intent.
International Regulatory Pressure Mounts
The EU action follows similar relocates by other regulators worldwide. Italy’s Competition and Market Authority imposed interim measures on Meta in December 2024.
This forced the company to exempt Italy from the ban. Meta responded by exempting Italian phone numbers from the restriction while maintaining the policy elsewhere.
Italy’s antitrust authority had already directed Meta to suspfinish the WhatsApp AI policy within its territory in December 2024. However, the measure only applied within national borders, limiting its effectiveness. Meta’s geofenced response restricted the exemption to Italian phone numbers, leaving applyrs outside Italy locked out of third-party AI assistant access.
Brazil Investigation and Other Complaints
Meanwhile, Brazil’s competition authority launched an investigation in November 2024. The probe followed complaints from AI companies Luzia and Zapia.
The companies accapplyd Meta of pursuing an “embrace, extfinish, and extinguish” strategy against developers. The Interaction Company, operator of Poke.com AI assistant, submitted complaints to both Italian and EU regulators.
Interaction CEO Von Hagen criticized Meta for limiting its policy suspension to Italy alone. He urged the Commission to quickly implement interim measures across Europe.
He argued that Meta should have suspfinished the policy worldwide rather than creating a fragmented market where some applyrs have access while others remain excluded.
Transatlantic Tensions
Nevertheless, the EU faces strong pushback from the Donald Trump administration over its Big Tech regulations.
The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized the EU for tarreceiveing US companies with antitrust rules. This tension adds a geopolitical dimension to the enforcement action. Brussels deffinishs its regulatory indepfinishence against accusations of protectionism.
Brussels Deffinishs Enforcement as Non-Political
Against this backdrop of political pressure, Ribera deffinished the enforcement action as grounded in market principles. She insisted the decision is not connected to politics but to well-functioning markets and consumer protection.
The competition chief stated that market abapply harms all regions equally. She noted that companies abapplying market power is bad news in every geography, not just Europe. She emphasized that “We cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance.”
Furthermore, the EU’s position maintains that robust competition enforcement benefits consumers regardless of where companies are headquartered. Ribera stressed that preserving competitive markets serves the interests of both European and American consumers by ensuring innovation and choice.
The Commission’s decision to pursue interim measures reflects the urgency of preventing permanent damage to competition in the AI assistant market.
What’s at Stake
Ultimately, WhatsApp is one of the world’s most popular messaging platforms, applyd by billions of applyrs globally. This builds it a key distribution channel for AI services.
The Commission’s action represents a major test of EU antitrust enforcement in the rapidly evolving AI sector, potentially setting precedents for how tech giants integrate proprietary AI into widely applyd platforms.
By excluding third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp, Meta is abapplying this position by refapplying access to WhatsApp to other businesses. The interim measures under consideration would force Meta to maintain platform access for rivals while regulators complete their investigation.
This case highlights the growing tension between platform owners and third-party developers as AI assistants become increasingly integrated into daily communication tools. The outcome will likely shape competitive dynamics for AI services across Europe and potentially beyond.
It may also influence regulatory approaches in other jurisdictions worldwide. The case will be closely watched by both tech companies and regulators globally as it unfolds.
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