The European Commission formally charged Meta Platforms with breaching antitrust regulations. Regulators allege the company is abusing its dominant market position by blocking rival artificial intelligence chatbots from WhatsApp. The Commission identifies the messaging platform as a critical distribution channel for AI assistants to reach users.
The EU threatened to impose interim measures that would force Meta to lift the block while the investigation proceeds. Regulators stated the current policy could cause serious and irreparable market harm. The Commission expressed concern that Meta is unfairly favoring its own AI services on the WhatsApp Business platform.
Meta rejected the charges, arguing that consumers have numerous alternative options for accessing AI services. A company spokesperson called the Commission’s logic flawed. Meta contends the regulator incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API serves as a primary distribution channel for AI chatbots.