(Feb 9): Meta Platforms Inc was given a European Union warning over policies that block the use of rival artificial intelligence (AI) assistants on WhatsApp, raising the possibility of further tensions with the Trump administration over the regulation of US tech companies.
The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, sent a statement of objections to Meta, warning the company it will take measures to avoid “serious and irreparable harm on the market” over its failure to allow access to other AI tools.
The commission said Meta’s conduct “risks blocking competitors from entering or expanding in the rapidly growing market for AI assistants”.
Under EU rules, competition regulators can order companies to temporarily stop suspect business practices, but these demands can be challenged in the bloc’s Luxembourg courts. Eventual fines for breaching the EU antitrust rulebook can be as high as 10% of global annual revenue, although they rarely reach that level, especially if alleged wrongdoing is short-lived.
Silicon Valley firms are increasingly facing demands from Brussels regulators to overhaul their business models or run the risk of hefty fines, much to the consternation of US President Donald Trump.
The White House has repeatedly hit out at the rules, denouncing them as a form of tax against US companies or attacks on free speech. The criticism has threatened to spill over into the EU trade deal negotiations and security guarantees for Ukraine.
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“This is not connected to politics but connected to well-functioning markets and the protection of consumers,” EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said in a Bloomberg TV interview.
Meta has the right to reply and defend itself before the interim measures are implemented, which could include a temporary order for the company to allow access to rival AI assistants on the messaging service.
“The facts are that there is no reason for the EU to intervene in the WhatsApp Business API,” a Meta spokesperson said. “There are many AI options and people can use them from app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and industry partnerships. The Commission’s logic incorrectly assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution channel for these chatbots.”
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Separately, information feeds on WhatsApp messaging platform were the latest Big Tech service to fall under European Union content-moderation rules last month when the commission designated the open channels as a “Very Large Online Platform” under the Digital Services Act.
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