The European Union is threatening to force Meta Platforms to reverse its decision to charge third-party AI companies for access to WhatsApp. Regulators argue that Meta’s new policy effectively blocks rival AI chatbots from the messaging app, potentially violating EU competition rules and harming market competition. The EU’s executive arm is considering interim measures to ensure access is restored under previous terms while the investigation continues.
The European Commission, the EU’s top antitrust enforcer, has stated that Meta’s recent move to charge third-party AI providers for access to WhatsApp is unsatisfactory. This policy, implemented in March, is viewed by the commission as an abuse of Meta’s dominant position, potentially stifling competition in the burgeoning AI assistant market. The investigation, opened last year, scrutinizes WhatsApp’s terms and conditions that previously blocked AI chatbot providers from using tools to connect with customers.
To prevent “serious and irreparable harm” to competition, the Commission intends to issue an order compelling Meta to reinstate access for third-party AI assistants. This reinstatement would be under the same conditions that were in place before October 15, 2025. These interim measures would remain in effect until a final decision is reached in the ongoing antitrust probe.
Meta has pushed back against the EU’s stance, asserting that the proposed intervention would essentially force the company to provide its services for free, thereby subsidizing large competitors. A Meta spokesperson stated that this could lead to small European businesses, such as bakeries using WhatsApp for orders, inadvertently covering the costs for major AI firms like OpenAI. The company believes this would unfairly benefit some of the world’s largest tech companies.
The dispute has also led to the broadening of the EU’s investigation to include Italy, where the national competition authority had already launched its own inquiry into the matter. This expansion highlights the increasing scrutiny across Europe regarding how major technology firms manage access to their platforms, particularly in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.