EU Announces Probe of Meta Over 3rd-Party AI Restrictions on WhatsApp

The European Commission (EC) has opened an antitrust investigation against Meta to determine whether the company’s policy restricting third-party AI tools on WhatsApp violates the European Union’s competition regulations, the commission said in a statement released on Dec. 4.

In October, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, updated its terms, limiting third-party developers and providers of AI tools from accessing WhatsApp Business Solutions, a tool that allows businesses to communicate with users.

The restriction only applies when AI is the primary service being offered to users. Third-party AI tools can still be used for ancillary or support purposes, such as offering automated customer support via the platform.

“The Commission is concerned that such new policy may prevent third party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’),” the statement said.

“On the other hand, Meta’s own AI service ‘Meta AI’ would remain accessible to users on the platform.”

Meta’s updated terms for WhatsApp’s third-party AI providers will take effect on Jan. 15, 2026, for providers already on WhatsApp, while for AI providers new to WhatsApp, the update has already been applicable since Oct. 15. Developers who sign up after Oct. 15 must adhere to the new rules from the start.

The EC said that several AI providers already offer access to AI assistants via WhatsApp, allowing users to use AI tools for a variety of purposes, including generating content and answering questions.

As such, all these third-party AI providers would be negatively affected once the rule comes into effect on Jan. 15, 2026.

According to the EC, Meta’s new restrictions may be in violation of EU competition rules that ban companies from abusing their dominant market position.

“AI markets are booming in Europe and beyond. We must ensure European citizens and businesses can benefit fully from this technological revolution and act to prevent dominant digital incumbents from abusing their power to crowd out innovative competitors,” said Teresa Ribera, the EU’s executive vice president for clean, just, and competitive transition.

“This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be illegal under competition rules, and whether we should act quickly to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space.”

A WhatsApp spokesperson called the claims “baseless,” adding that the emergence of AI chatbots on its platforms had put a “strain on our systems that they were not designed to support.”

“Still, the AI space is highly competitive, and people have access to the services of their choice in any number of ways, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems,” the spokesperson said.

Spanish AI startup Luzia, which says it has more than 85 million users globally, has also complained to the EU antitrust enforcer.

“In recent months, we have invested heavily in growing our app and web version, but WhatsApp remains a key channel for discovery and access,” said Pablo Delgado, Luzia’s head of brands and communications.

“If this policy remains in place, that gateway will close for millions of users and many businesses that depend on it.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Meta for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

The EC may issue a fine of up to 10 percent of a company’s total turnover if the entity is found to have violated competition rules. This could amount to more than $16 billion, given that Meta reported revenues of more than $164 billion last year.

AI Tools Exiting WhatsApp

AI companies operating on WhatsApp have already alerted users about the new Meta rules.

“Due to a policy and terms change from WhatsApp, ChatGPT will no longer be available on WhatsApp after January 15, 2026,” OpenAI said in a post on Oct. 21.

In a Nov. 24 post, Microsoft said that its Copilot AI “will no longer be available on WhatsApp” beginning Jan. 15, 2026.

The EC’s investigation into WhatsApp’s AI policies and potential fines on Meta follows multiple other penalties imposed by the EC on several U.S. tech companies, including Meta.

In April, the EC fined Apple 500 million euros ($582 million) and Meta 200 million euros ($233 million), ruling that the companies restricted customer choices and violated the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

In September, the commission imposed a $3.5 billion fine on Google, accusing the company of disrupting competition in the ad tech industry.

EU fines on U.S. tech companies have been a point of conflict between Europe and the Trump administration, with President Donald Trump warning the bloc against any unfair actions affecting American businesses.

In a Sept. 6 post on Truth Social, Trump called the fines on U.S. tech companies “very unfair” and said his administration “will NOT allow these discriminatory actions to stand.”

“We cannot let this happen to brilliant and unprecedented American Ingenuity and, if it does, I will be forced to start a Section 301 proceeding to nullify the unfair penalties being charged to these Taxpaying American Companies,” the president wrote.

Reuters contributed to this report.