The EU commission’s antitrust investigation into Meta reaches its next step.
The EU Commission has told Meta that it must open its WhatsApp platform to rival AI chatbots for free.
Meta banned third-party general-purpose AI Assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API in January 2026 – which the EU said appeared to be an abuse of the tech firm’s dominant market position.
This comes as part of an antitrust investigation by the EU in which Meta’s decision to restrict access for AI providers on its platform is under scrutiny. The EU’s intervention was needed, it says, to prevent “serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market by Meta’s conduct”, which it said looked to infringe EU competition rules.
Meta has responded, accusing the Commission of “regulatory overreach.” It confirms it will appeal the decision.
“The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free”, it said in a statement.
“This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.”
The Commission confirmed that if the tech giant did not comply with its (interim) decision, then it could face a fine of 10% of global turnover, which was around $200.97 billion, making 10% approximately $20.1 billion.
“In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted”, said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition.
“This is why these interim measures will remain in place for the duration of the investigation.”
This forms the latest development in the ongoing battle between tech firms and EU regulators, which look to curb the companies’ power by introducing stricter legislations.
Google and TikTok joined Meta in being hit with consumer complaints from the EU as the tech firms are accused of failing to properly address harmful and fraudulent ads on their platforms.
