The European Union told Meta that it is breaching anti-trust rules by blocking other companies’ AI chatbots from WhatsApp.
In a strongly worded statement on Feb. 9, the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said Meta’s decision to deny rivals’ bots access to the messaging app risked “causing serious and irreparable harm on the market”.
The commission confirmed it was considering imposing “interim measures” to address the situation.
At the heart of the issue is Meta’s decision last October to update its WhatsApp business terms of use. According to the commission, this effectively banned third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp platform. Indeed, since January, Meta’s own AI tool has been the only one available, with others effectively excluded.
Having conducted an investigation into Meta’s actions, the Commission has initially decided that the policy change contravenes the EU’s competition rules and has now sent a “Statement of Objections” to the social media giant.
Because the commission said it considers WhatsApp an “important entry point” for AI assistants to reach consumers, it considers Meta to be “abusing this dominant position” by refusing access, and, as such, “there is an urgent need for protective measures”.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the European Commission, said in a release: “Artificial intelligence is bringing incredible innovations to consumers, and one of these is the emerging market of AI assistants.
“We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage. AI markets are developing at rapid pace, so we also need to be swift in our action.”
Among the measures open to the commission as it awaits Meta’s formal response is to demand WhatsApp is again opened up to other AI assistants.
In a statement released to media outlets, a Meta spokesperson said: “The facts are that there is no reason for the EU to intervene in the WhatsApp Business API. There are many AI options, and people can use them from app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and industry partnerships.
“The Commission’s logic incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution channel for these chatbots.”
This is not the first time Meta has run afoul of European rules. In 2023, it was fined 1.2 billion Euros for mishandling data in contravention of European General Data Protection Regulation privacy laws. And last year it was fined another 200 million Euros for breaching obligations to provide consumers with services that used less of their data.
