EU Escalates Pressure on Meta Over WhatsApp AI Assistant Restrictions

2026-06-10 07:09:21

(MENAFN) The European Commission has stepped up its action against Meta, announcing on Wednesday that it has issued an additional charge sheet indicating plans to require the company to reinstate access for third-party AI assistants on WhatsApp under the same conditions that existed before a policy change last year.

The move comes as part of an interim measures procedure within an ongoing investigation into whether Meta may have abused a dominant market position by limiting rival AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp.

According to the commission, Meta’s actions “risks blocking competitors from entering or expanding in the rapidly growing market for AI assistants,” in a statement outlining its concerns.

Officials said Meta revised its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms on Oct. 15, 2025, introducing restrictions that effectively prohibit third-party general-purpose AI assistants from operating on the platform as of Jan. 15, 2026.

The European Commission launched formal proceedings on Dec. 4, 2025, and earlier sent Meta a statement of objections on Feb. 9, arguing that the company’s conduct appears to breach EU competition rules at first glance.

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