EU targets Meta over WhatsApp AI access restrictions

The European Commission believes Meta breached EU competition rules by blocking other AI assistants from accessing and interacting with users on WhatsApp.

The case centers on a change Meta announced on 15 October 2025 to the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms. The update effectively blocked third-party, general-purpose AI assistants from operating on WhatsApp. Since 15 January 2026, Meta AI has been the only AI assistant available on the app.

The Commission plans to impose interim measures to stop the policy change from causing serious, long-term harm to competition, while still giving Meta the chance to respond.

“AI is bringing incredible innovations to consumers, and one of these is the emerging market of AI assistants. We must protect effective competition in this field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to use their position to gain an unfair advantage. AI markets are developing rapidly, so swift action is needed,” said Teresa Ribera, EVP for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.

“That is why we are considering imposing interim measures on Meta to preserve access to WhatsApp for competitors while the investigation continues and to prevent the company’s new policy from causing lasting harm to competition in Europe,” concluded Ribera.