The EU investigates if Meta’s new WhatsApp AI policy blocks rivals, marking a fresh clash with Big Tech under competition rules.
BRUSSELS: The European Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Meta’s rollout of AI features in WhatsApp.
The probe will determine if the tech giant’s new policy breaches EU competition rules by blocking rival AI providers.
Announced on Thursday, the investigation centres on a policy change Meta revealed in October.
The commission stated it is concerned the policy “may prevent third party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp.”
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the bloc must act to prevent dominant firms from crowding out innovative competitors.
“This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be illegal under competition rules,” Ribera said in a statement.
She added the aim is to act quickly “to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space.”
The commission says the new policy restricts AI providers from using a tool in WhatsApp’s business version to communicate with customers.
“As a result of the new policy, competing AI providers may be blocked from reaching their customers through WhatsApp,” its statement said.
“Meta’s own AI service ‘Meta AI’ would remain accessible to users on the platform.”
The investigation covers the European Economic Area, which includes the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
Italy is excluded as it opened a separate probe into Meta in July.
The Italian antitrust body has said merging Meta AI with WhatsApp may impose the company’s services on users.
It argues this could channel WhatsApp’s vast customer base into the emerging AI market.
The move marks the EU’s latest effort to rein in Big Tech amid pushback from the US administration.
It uses the bloc’s antitrust rules rather than its newer digital laws, which US President Donald Trump has criticised.
Trump has accused the EU’s digital regulations of unfairly targeting American firms and threatened retaliation.
