EU Accuses Meta of Antitrust Breach on WhatsApp AI Policy

The European Commission has formally accused Meta Platforms of breaching EU antitrust rules by restricting third-party AI assistants from accessing WhatsApp, threatening to impose interim measures that could force the company to reverse the policy while its investigation continues.

The charges, outlined in a statement of objections issued on Monday, target a policy update to WhatsApp's Business Solution Terms announced on October 15, 2025, and effective January 15, 2026. Under the new rules, third-party general-purpose AI chatbots are prohibited from using the WhatsApp Business API if AI is their primary function, leaving Meta AI as the sole such assistant available to the app's roughly three billion users worldwide. Regulators argue that this exclusion abuses Meta's dominant position in the European consumer communications market, potentially causing serious and irreparable harm to competition in the fast-evolving AI sector.

The investigation began in December 2024, prompted by concerns over Meta's influence in digital markets. Commission officials, led by Executive Vice President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera, emphasized the urgency of intervention....