Thought Leadership
The European Commission is continuing to put pressure on WhatsApp’s parent company Meta. The background is that Meta, according to the Brussels authority, gives only its own AI assistant access to the WhatsApp messaging service, which preliminary findings suggest violates competition law.
Competition regulators are therefore once again threatening the company with interim measures to prevent “serious and irreparable harm to the market.” Meta could still attempt to avert this. The ongoing investigation in the case has also not yet been definitively concluded. When the proceedings will end remains unclear – there is no statutory deadline.
Only “Meta AI” as assistant
The EU Commission has been investigating the case since December 2025. The US company had announced in October 2025 that it would effectively exclude competing AI providers from its messaging service, and has been doing so, in the EU’s view, despite the ongoing investigation, since mid-January 2026.
According to the EU Commission, this means that only Meta’s own AI (“Meta AI”) is available to users. The AI chatbot can summarise, translate and create texts as well as answer questions, drawing on current information from the internet. It works similarly to ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI models. Those wishing to use the AI can start a chat with it directly in the app.
EU: Announced changes not sufficient
In early February, the authority had already threatened Meta with coercive measures to restore access for competitors in the AI market. Meta subsequently announced changes in early March. However, these are in practice equivalent to the existing access ban, the EU Commission now writes. The interim measures now announced would remain in force until the Commission has completed its investigation and reached a final decision on Meta’s conduct, it stated.
The EU Commission oversees compliance with competition law in the EU. Exactly how it would proceed to grant Meta’s competitors access to WhatsApp remained initially unclear.
Meta: Many AI options
A Meta spokesperson had stated in February that there was no reason for the EU to intervene. “There are many AI options that can be used through app stores, operating systems, devices, websites and industry partnerships,” the spokesperson argued. The EU Commission was wrongly assuming that the interface on WhatsApp is an important distribution channel for these chatbots.
Meta already faces EU proceedings for violations of European digital laws. The Commission had stated in late October that the company could face heavy fines for, among other things, insufficient data transparency and handling of illegal content on its platforms.
dpa
