The European Union has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta’s integration of artificial‑intelligence features in WhatsApp, citing concerns that the move may breach the bloc’s competition rules. The probe, announced by the European Commission, targets a policy introduced by Meta in October that could restrict third‑party AI providers from offering their services through the messaging platform. According to the Commission, the policy may block competing AI providers from accessing customers via WhatsApp’s business version while allowing Meta’s own AI service, Meta AI, to remain available to users. The EU argues that this could constitute an abuse of Meta’s dominant market position and potentially crowd out innovative competitors in the AI space.
EU Competition Chief Teresa Ribera emphasized the need for the bloc to act against dominant digital players that might exploit their power to stifle competition. The investigation will examine whether Meta’s policy violates EU antitrust rules, aiming to prevent any harm to competition in the AI sector. The probe covers the European Economic Area—including the 27 EU member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway—though Italy is conducting a separate investigation. Italy’s antitrust authority is looking into whether Meta’s merger of its AI services with WhatsApp forces users to adopt its AI offerings and funnels its customer base into the emerging market.
The EU’s action is the latest in a series of efforts to regulate big‑tech companies amid concerns over their growing influence and potential anti‑competitive practices. It also highlights ongoing tensions between the EU and the United States, where the digital laws have been criticized by the administration of former President Donald Trump as unfairly targeting American firms. The outcome of the investigation could have significant implications for Meta and the broader tech industry, as the EU continues to assert its regulatory authority in the digital sphere. As the probe progresses, the EU will closely monitor Meta’s compliance with competition rules to ensure a level playing field for all players in the AI market.
Comments are closed for this story.