EU Antitrust Charges Against Meta: Plans to Force WhatsApp Open, Strictly Prohibits Blocking Third-Party AI Competitors

The EU antitrust regulators have formally brought charges against Meta Platforms and plan to impose mandatory interim measures to prevent the company from using its dominant position in instant messaging to shut out AI competitors.

The European Commission announced on Monday that it has sent Meta a statement of objections, accusing the company of violating EU competition rules. To prevent serious and irreparable harm to competitors, regulators plan to implement interim measures, requiring Meta to keep WhatsApp open to competitors during the investigation period. This move echoes similar action taken by Italy’s competition authority in December last year, reflecting regulatory concerns over Meta’s use of the WhatsApp Business API to squeeze out third-party AI services.

EU antitrust head Teresa Ribera emphasized in a statement that effective competition in this vibrant field must be protected. She noted that dominant tech companies must not be allowed to illegally use their advantage to gain unfair benefits. Ribera made it clear that the reason for considering swift interim measures against Meta is to preserve competitors’ access to WhatsApp during the investigation period and avoid irreversible harm to competition in the European market from Meta’s new policy.

This investigation not only increases the regulatory pressure Meta faces in Europe, but also shows that, despite reservations in the US about enforcement actions against domestic tech giants, the EU remains determined to strictly enforce antitrust rules. If the interim measures are implemented, Meta will be directly forced to change its business strategy and suspend its exclusive policy—effective since January 15th of this year—that only allows Meta AI Assistant access to WhatsApp, thus preserving this key distribution channel for third-party AI developers.

Core Allegation: Preventing Irreparable Market Harm

The core of the European Commission’s actions is to prevent permanent damage to market structure. According to Reuters, Meta implemented a new policy on January 15th of this year, allowing only its own Meta AI Assistant on the WhatsApp platform. EU regulators believe that because WhatsApp holds a dominant position in communications services, this policy constitutes suspected abuse of dominance and could quickly force competitors out of the market.

Regulators stated that the aim of the interim measure is to “freeze” the status quo and ensure that, before the long antitrust investigation reaches its final conclusion, the competitive environment does not deteriorate beyond recovery. Whether the Commission ultimately implements these interim measures will depend on Meta’s response to the statement of objections and its exercise of defense rights.

Meta's Response: Intervention Lacks Factual Basis

Facing the EU’s charges, Meta quickly hit back, claiming the regulator’s intervention lacks justification. In an email statement, a Meta spokesperson said that the European Commission's logic is flawed, as it mistakenly assumes WhatsApp Business API is the key distribution channel for chatbots.

The spokesperson argued that there are currently many AI options on the market, and users can access services through app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and industry partners. Meta maintains that, based on these facts, there is no reason for the EU to intervene in the operation strategy of the WhatsApp Business API.

Global Regulatory Dynamics and Precedents

This EU action is not an isolated event, but part of a global wave of antitrust regulation targeting tech giants. According to Reuters, a Brazilian court last month suspended interim measures issued by the country’s antitrust regulator against Meta on the same issue, highlighting the complexity and strategic maneuvering among jurisdictions in these new types of antitrust cases.

Nevertheless, the EU’s statement of objections and planned interim measures send a strong signal to the market. As an instant messaging platform with a massive user base, WhatsApp is not only a communication tool but also an important access point for AI services to reach users. The purpose of the EU’s move is to ensure that tech giants cannot use their established platform advantage to preemptively establish a monopoly in the emerging AI sector by blocking channels.

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