EU Threatens Meta Over WhatsApp AI Policy, Orders Rival Access

The EU is taking enforcement measures against Meta over its WhatsApp AI policy. The European Union is requiring Meta to restore full access to rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp. This move follows the EU's rejection of Meta's pay-for-access remedy in the WhatsApp AI chatbots probe.

The European Union is cracking down on META over its AI policy on WhatsApp, threatening formal enforcement measures. The EU is ordering Meta to restore full access to rival AI chatbots on the messaging platform, marking a significant escalation in the bloc's oversight of Meta's platform strategy under the Digital Markets Act.

The action targets Meta's attempt to monetize third-party AI access to WhatsApp by charging rival chatbot companies for API access — a remedy the EU has explicitly rejected. European regulators concluded that allowing Meta to set the terms and price of competitor access failed to address the underlying antitrust concern: that META was using its gatekeeper position on WhatsApp to favor its own AI products over rivals.

As a result, META faces the prospect of mandatory free interoperability for competing AI chatbots — a potentially significant constraint on its ability to monetize WhatsApp's 2 billion-plus user base through AI features. If Meta cannot negotiate a compliant structural remedy, it risks substantial fines under the DMA and forced product changes that could reshape competitive dynamics across AI-powered messaging in Europe.