Meta Faces Fresh EU Probe Over WhatsApp AI Features

The European Union on Thursday opened a formal antitrust investigation into Meta over the rollout of artificial intelligence features on WhatsApp, widening regulatory pressure on the U.S. technology giant.

It is the latest effort by the 27-member bloc to curb the power of Big Tech amidst rising political tension with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has accused the EU of unfairly targeting American companies.

Unlike recent cases brought under the EU’s new digital regulations, the latest probe falls under traditional competition rules. The European Commission said it is examining whether Meta’s updated WhatsApp policy could unlawfully restrict rival AI firms from accessing customers on the platform.

According to the Commission, a policy announced by Meta in October may prevent third-party AI providers from using tools on WhatsApp’s business service to offer AI-driven services directly to users.

The restriction applies when AI is the main service being offered, such as chatbots or digital assistants, although companies may still deploy AI for support roles like customer service.

“As a result of the new policy, competing AI providers may be blocked from reaching their customers through WhatsApp,” the Commission said, noting that Meta’s own AI product, Meta AI, would still be accessible on the platform.

EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said the bloc must intervene to ensure dominant firms do not undermine innovation.

“This is why we are investigating whether Meta’s new policy might breach competition rules and whether swift action is needed to avoid any irreversible harm to competition in the AI sector,” she said.

Meta, however, rejected the accusations, describing them as unfounded. A WhatsApp spokesperson told AFP that the surge in AI chatbots on its Business API was placing technical pressure on systems not originally designed to support such services.

“Even so, the AI sector remains highly competitive, and users can access AI tools through many other channels, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership platforms and operating systems,” the spokesperson said.

The investigation will cover the European Economic Area, which includes the EU’s 27 countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Italy is excluded, having launched its own probe into Meta in July.

Italian regulators have raised concerns that integrating Meta AI into WhatsApp could amount to forcing users to adopt Meta’s AI services and steering its large user base into the emerging AI market.

There is no statutory deadline for completing the antitrust investigation.

Separately, Meta is already facing possible heavy penalties under the EU’s Digital Services Act over allegations of failing to grant researchers proper access to public data, and for not offering adequate tools for users to report illegal content or challenge moderation decisions on Facebook and Instagram.

Regulators are also examining whether the platforms do enough to protect children from addictive features.

Meta has also appealed a €200m fine imposed earlier this year under the Digital Markets Act over its policy allowing users to choose only between a paid, ad-free service or a free, ad-supported version.