EU Commission Warns Meta WhatsApp AI Fee Breaches Antitrust Rules
- tech360.tv
- Apr 16
- 2 min read
The European Commission intends to order Meta Platforms to reinstate rival artificial intelligence assistants on its WhatsApp messaging service. This comes after the U.S. tech giant imposed an access fee for these assistants.
The Commission notified Meta that its revised policy appears to breach EU competition rules. It believes the policy still excludes third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp.
Interim measures will remain in place until the investigation concludes. The Commission imposes these measures when it has concerns about damage to competition.
To prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition, the Commission plans to order Meta to reinstate access for third-party AI assistants. This access would be under the same conditions as before 15 October 2025.
Meta previously informed the Commission that it would allow rival AI assistants on WhatsApp for one year, contingent on a fee. This followed initial plans to ban third-party AI chatbots from WhatsApp Business entirely.
A Meta spokesperson stated that the European Commission is proposing to use its regulatory powers to enable some of the world's largest companies to use the paid WhatsApp Business product for free.
The spokesperson explained that a small bakery in France paying to use the service to take croissant orders would effectively be subsidising companies like OpenAI. Small European businesses, the spokesperson added, should not bear OpenAI's costs.
The Commission's investigation has also expanded to Italy. The Italian competition watchdog opened its own probe last year.
The European Commission plans to order Meta Platforms to allow rival AI assistants on WhatsApp without an access fee.
The Commission believes Meta's current fee-based policy for third-party AI assistants breaches EU competition rules.
Meta argues the fee is necessary, stating that waiving it would shift costs from large companies like OpenAI to small businesses.
Source: REUTERS
