The European Union has challenged Meta Platforms over a new policy that limits artificial intelligence tools on WhatsApp.
Regulators say the U.S. tech giant could be abusing its position in the messaging market.
On January 15, Meta allowed only its own AI assistant to operate on WhatsApp, blocking access to third-party AI rivals.
The European Commission responded by issuing a statement of objections to Meta and said it is considering interim measures to prevent “serious and irreparable harm” to competitors while the investigation continues.
“We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage,” EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said.
“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.”
Meta defended its policy, arguing that the WhatsApp Business API is not a crucial channel for AI tools. “There are many AI options and people can use them from app stores, operating systems, devices, websites and industry partnerships,” a Meta spokesperson said.
“The Commission’s logic incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API (software) is a key distribution channel for these chatbots.”
Italy’s competition authority took a similar step last December, restricting Meta’s ability to block AI rivals. In contrast, a Brazilian court recently suspended an interim measure against Meta over the same issue.
