The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta over a WhatsApp policy change that would limit how rival AI chatbot providers can reach users through the messaging app. The case focuses on WhatsApp's business tools, Meta AI, and whether the new rules could unfairly protect Meta's own service while blocking competing AI providers.
What The Investigation Is About
The European Commission said on Thursday that it is investigating Meta's move to ban other AI companies from using WhatsApp's business tools to offer their own AI chatbots to users on the app. The concern is not about every use of AI on WhatsApp. It is specifically about general-purpose AI chatbots being distributed through the WhatsApp Business API.
WhatsApp changed its business API policy in October. The company said the API is not designed to serve as a platform for distributing chatbots. The change is set to go into effect in January.
The policy could affect the availability of AI chatbots from companies including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Poke on WhatsApp. At the same time, Meta's own AI service, Meta AI, would remain accessible to users on the platform.
Why Regulators Are Concerned
The Commission's concern is that the policy may prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp in the European Economic Area (‘EEA’). In practical terms, rival AI providers could lose a route to customers inside one of the world's most important digital markets, while Meta AI continues to operate inside WhatsApp.
The regulator framed the issue as a competition question. If a major platform can decide that competing AI chatbots cannot use a business tool, while keeping its own chatbot available, the effect could be to make it harder for rivals to reach users.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice-president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition at the European Commission, said the AI market is expanding quickly and that regulators need to watch how dominant digital companies use their position. In her statement, she said the Commission is investigating whether Meta's new policy might be illegal under competition rules and whether quick action may be needed to prevent possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space.
What The WhatsApp Change Does And Does Not Ban
The policy distinction matters. WhatsApp is not banning businesses from using AI to serve customers through the API. A retailer using an AI-powered customer service bot, for example, would not be barred under the change described in the source article.
The restriction is aimed at general-purpose AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, being distributed through the API. That means the rule draws a line between AI used as a business support tool and AI services offered directly to users as chatbot products.
That distinction is central to the dispute. WhatsApp argues that the Business API was not built to support the distribution of AI chatbots at that scale or for that purpose. The Commission is looking at whether applying that rule while Meta AI remains available creates an unfair advantage for Meta.
Meta's Position
WhatsApp called the EU's claims “baseless.” The company said users have many other ways to access rival AI companies' chatbots outside WhatsApp.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said in an emailed statement: “The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API puts a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support,” The spokesperson added: “Even 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.”
That argument shifts the focus away from WhatsApp as a single access point. WhatsApp's position is that rival AI services remain available through other channels, and that the Business API should not be treated as a general distribution system for chatbots.
What Could Happen Next
The investigation does not mean Meta has already been found to have broken EU antitrust rules. It means the Commission is examining whether the WhatsApp policy change may violate competition rules and whether intervention is needed before competition in AI is harmed.
If Meta is found guilty of breaching EU's antitrust rules, it may be fined up to 10% of its global annual revenue. The Commission may also impose additional measures on the company.
The case shows how AI competition is increasingly tied to access points inside large consumer platforms. For users, the question is which chatbot services remain available inside WhatsApp. For AI providers, the issue is whether a messaging platform's business tools can be used to reach customers when the platform owner also offers a competing AI chatbot.