European Union antitrust regulators have ordered Meta Platforms to give rival Artificial Intelligence chatbots, including OpenAI, free access to WhatsApp while they investigate whether the company abused its market power by blocking competitors from the messaging app. The European Commission issued the interim measure after complaints from The Interaction Company of California, developer of the Poke.com Artificial Intelligence assistant, French Artificial Intelligence startup Agentik and a Spanish rival.
The Commission opened an investigation after the complaints, later issuing charges alleging breaches of European Union antitrust rules and additional charges after Meta levied access fees. European Union antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said Meta’s fees were so high that it was not economically sustainable for competitors and that the company’s justification failed to convince regulators. Ribera said Meta appeared to be using WhatsApp’s vast reach and likely dominance to benefit its own Artificial Intelligence assistant and foreclose rivals at a time when Artificial Intelligence markets are developing exceptionally fast.
She said the interim order would last as long as the investigation continues or at the latest until June 2029. Meta criticized the order, saying the European Commission had decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free. The company called the move regulatory overreach subsidized by European companies that pay and said it will appeal.
Meta barred rival Artificial Intelligence services from accessing its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface in October, while exempting its own assistant, Meta Artificial Intelligence. The interface allows companies to connect their systems to WhatsApp. In March it allowed the competitors back onto the platform for a fee, a move that drew the Commission’s objection. Under the interim measure, Meta must restore rivals’ access to the WhatsApp for Business API on the same terms and conditions that applied before October, within five working days. Meta faces a fine of up to 10 per cent of its global annual turnover if found to have breached EU antitrust rules.
