European Union antitrust regulators have required Meta Platforms to permit rival AI chatbots, including OpenAI, to access WhatsApp without charge, according to the European Commission's interim decision. The measure arrives amid a broader examination of whether Meta misused its market position by restricting competitors' use of the messaging platform.
The interim measure was prompted by formal complaints from three firms: The Interaction Company of California, the developer of the Poke.com AI assistant; the French AI startup Agentik; and an as-yet unnamed Spanish competitor. Those complaints led the Commission to open an inquiry in December, and the regulator escalated the case by bringing charges against Meta two months later, alleging breaches of EU antitrust rules.
Additional charges were filed in April after Meta introduced fees for accessing its WhatsApp for Business API. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the fees were set at levels that made access economically unsustainable for competitors and that Meta's explanations did not sufficiently justify the pricing. The Commission's position is that the fee levels undermined competitors' ability to operate on the platform.
The underlying dispute traces back to October, when Meta blocked rival AI services from using its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface - the technical gateway companies use to link their systems with WhatsApp. At that time, Meta exempted its own assistant, Meta AI, from the restriction. In March, Meta reversed the outright block and allowed other providers back onto the platform, but only on the condition that they pay to use the API - a move that drew objections from the Commission and contributed to subsequent charges.
The Commission's interim measure requires Meta to offer free access to the messaging service for competing AI chatbots while the antitrust investigation proceeds. The action is intended to preserve competition on the platform during the probe. The case remains under review by EU authorities and further developments will depend on the ongoing investigation and any formal findings the Commission may reach.
Context and process
- Complaints from three AI providers triggered the Commission's inquiry in December.
- Charges were first filed two months after the investigation opened, with additional charges following in April after Meta applied access fees.
- The interim measure compels free access while regulators continue their probe.
The Commission's action concentrates on access to the WhatsApp for Business API and whether Meta's conduct favored its own assistant relative to competitors. The situation highlights regulatory scrutiny of platform operators' control over essential interfaces used by third-party services.