The EU announced on Thursday that it has begun an antitrust investigation to assess whether Meta’s approach to integrating AI tools into WhatsApp violates the bloc’s competition regulations.
In revealing the probe, the European Commission expressed concern that a recently introduced Meta “policy may prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp.”
This action against the US tech company adds to a growing series of measures taken by the 27-nation bloc to curb the dominance of major tech giants, despite resistance from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The case falls under the EU’s competition framework rather than its updated digital regulations, which Trump has argued unfairly target American companies and has threatened reprisals over.
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the EU must “act to prevent dominant digital incumbents from abusing their power to crowd out innovative competitors.”
She added that this is the reason the Commission is “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.”
According to the EU, the Meta policy unveiled in October would limit the capacity of AI developers to use a tool within WhatsApp Business that assists businesses in communicating with their clients.
The Commission said this could mean competing AI firms “may be blocked from reaching their customers through WhatsApp,” while noting that “Meta’s own AI service ‘Meta AI’ would remain accessible to users on the platform.”
The investigation spans the European Economic Area, which includes the EU’s 27 countries along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, though excludes Italy, which launched its own probe into Meta in July.
Italy’s competition regulator has stated that integrating Meta AI with WhatsApp could allow the company to pressure users into relying on its AI services and direct its vast user base toward its emerging AI ecosystem.
What you should know
The European Union’s new investigation reflects growing scrutiny over whether Meta is using its dominance to give its AI services an unfair advantage.
Regulators fear that restricting third-party AI providers on WhatsApp Business could shut competitors out of a crucial communication channel used by millions of European businesses. The EU is particularly concerned that Meta AI will remain fully available while rival tools may be blocked, potentially shaping the future AI market in Meta’s favor.
Italy’s separate inquiry highlights increasingly fragmented oversight as countries work to ensure fair competition in fast-evolving digital markets.
