EU Targets Meta Over WhatsApp AI Rules in New Antitrust Probe

The European Union is keeping a watchful eye on Meta once again, this time over artificial intelligence.

Regulators in Brussels say the company’s recent policy changes to WhatsApp could unfairly restrict rival AI chatbots’ access via WhatsApp’s business infrastructure, one of the world’s most significant messaging platforms. This has triggered a formal antitrust warning and could force Meta to roll back its policy while the investigation plays out.

EU calls out WhatsApp’s AI gatekeeping

The dispute surrounds Meta’s WhatsApp Business Solution, a tool widely used by companies to communicate with customers. In a policy update announced in October 2025 and implemented in January, Meta revised its terms to effectively bar third-party AI providers from using the tool if AI is the primary offering.

In practice, this means businesses may be unable to deploy rival AI assistants, like customer service bots or general-purpose chatbots, through WhatsApp’s official business infrastructure if those tools compete with Meta’s AI offerings.

The European Commission said in a statement that it intends to protect the market, believing that the restriction could distort competition and may allow Meta to leverage WhatsApp’s massive user base to advantage its own assistant, Meta AI, while limiting competitors’ access.

The Commission confirmed that it has issued Meta a formal chargesheet outlining preliminary antitrust concerns related to the recent changes to the company’s WhatsApp Business Solution terms.

Speaking to Bloomberg, competition chief Teresa Ribera said the case is fundamentally about preserving market fairness amid rapid technological change, rather than targeting any specific country or company.

“We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field,” Ribera said, adding that swift action may be necessary given the speed at which AI services are evolving.

Why regulators are acting fast

According to Ribera, fast action is essential because AI markets are evolving quickly. If dominant platforms are allowed to close off access now, it could affect future competition.

The platform’s role also demands urgency, as WhatsApp serves as a critical distribution gateway. With billions of global users and deep integration into business-to-consumer communications, the platform serves as an important entry point for AI services trying to reach mainstream audiences.

That said, the Commission is considering interim measures, or temporary steps designed to prevent serious harm while the full antitrust investigation continues.

If imposed, these measures would likely require Meta to restore third-party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp under the terms that existed prior to the policy change.

Building on earlier probes

The Commission’s preliminary position reflects concerns first raised at the national level.

Italy’s antitrust authority launched a similar probe earlier in 2025 and ordered Meta to halt the practices domestically in December, though that ruling applied only within Italy. Brussels’ intervention has raised expectations that the issue has now become an EU-wide enforcement priority.

After all, companies cannot use dominance in one digital ecosystem to gain unfair leverage in another, especially fast-growing sectors like generative AI.

Industry reaction and resistance

Reactions have split along competitive lines. Some rival AI firm spokespeople, like Marvin von Hagen, chief executive of Interaction, the provider of one of the rival chatbots, have welcomed the Commission’s intervention. These messaging platforms are quickly becoming frontline interfaces for AI services, so exclusion from those ecosystems could stifle innovation and make it harder for smaller players to compete in the market.

Meta, however, is pushing back forcefully against the Commission’s reasoning.

A company spokesperson said there is “no reason” for EU intervention and disputed the claim that WhatsApp Business is a key distribution channel for AI chatbots. Meta argues consumers can access AI tools through app stores, operating systems, websites, and device integrations, suggesting regulators are overstating WhatsApp’s gatekeeping power. It rejects accusations that it’s foreclosing competition, maintaining that multiple AI options remain widely available.

Part of a bigger EU tech crackdown

This is just one case in a bigger wave of EU enforcement cracking down on major technology firms.

According to CNBC reports, in 2025 alone, the Commission issued major penalties across the sector, with Apple facing a €500 million fine over app-store practices, Meta fined €200 million for data-consent obligations, and Google hit with a €2.95 billion antitrust penalty related to online advertising.

Still, scrutiny in these companies is not limited to market competition. Just days before the WhatsApp development, regulators warned TikTok that it risked heavy fines under online safety laws if it failed to address allegedly addictive design features.

The future of AI platform access

As the dispute unfolds, interim measures alone, if imposed, could have an immediate operational impact, potentially forcing the company to reopen WhatsApp to rival AI assistants in the near term.

For the AI industry, the outcome could set an early precedent on whether dominant messaging and social platforms can restrict third-party AI integration or must function as open gateways. If Meta prevails, platform owners could retain far greater control over which assistants users encounter.

Either way, this situation shows that as AI becomes embedded in everyday communication, control over user access may prove just as critical as the technology itself.

Also read: The Digital Services Act is shaping enforcement in the EU as regulators probe Grok over sexual AI deepfakes.

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