EU Announces Probe of Meta Over 3rd-Party AI Restrictions on WhatsApp

Meta’s new restrictions may be in violation of EU competition rules that ban companies from abusing their dominant market position.

Teenagers pose for a photo while holding smartphones in front of a Meta logo, in this illustration taken on Sept. 11, 2025. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

The European Commission (EC) has opened an antitrust investigation against Meta to determine whether the company’s policy restricting third-party AI tools on WhatsApp violates the European Union’s competition regulations, the commission said in a statement released on Dec. 4.

In October, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, updated its terms, limiting third-party developers and providers of AI tools from accessing WhatsApp Business Solutions, a tool that allows businesses to communicate with users.