Meta ordered by EU to allow rival AI chatbots back on WhatsApp for free
By Foo Yun Chee
EU Antitrust Action Against Meta and WhatsApp AI Access
Background of the Investigation
BRUSSELS, June 9 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms has been ordered by EU antitrust regulators to give rival AI chatbots such as OpenAI free access to WhatsApp while they continue to investigate whether the company abused its market power by blocking competitors from the messaging app.
The European Commission's decision to issue an interim measure against Meta followed complaints from The Interaction Company of California, developer of the Poke.com AI assistant, French AI startup Agentik and a Spanish rival.
Timeline of Events
Those complaints prompted the Commission, the EU's competition enforcer, to open an investigation in December. It issued charges against Meta two months later, alleging breaches of EU antitrust rules, and additional charges in April after Meta levied access fees.
EU's Rationale and Statements
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said Meta's fees were so high that it was not economically sustainable for competitors and the company's justification failed to convince.
Concerns Over Market Dominance
"It seems that Meta expects to leverage the vast reach and likely dominance of WhatsApp to benefit its own AI assistant and to foreclose rivals," she told a press conference.
Impact on AI Markets
"It is now a critical time. AI markets are developing exceptionally fast and AI systems are expected to become an important way for consumers all across Europe to access and use AI," Ribera said.
She said the interim order would last as long as the investigation continues or at the latest until June 2029.
Meta's Response to the EU Order
Meta, which has previously pointed to AI options available via app stores, operating systems, devices, websites, and industry partnerships, criticised the Commission order.
"The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free," a Meta spokesperson said in an email.
"This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal."
Details of the Interim Measure
Meta barred rival AI services from accessing its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface, which allows companies to connect their systems to WhatsApp, in October, while exempting its own assistant Meta AI. In March it allowed the competitors back onto the platform for a fee, a move that drew the Commission's objection.
Under the interim measure, Meta must restore rivals' access to the WhatsApp for Business API on the same terms and conditions that applied before October, within five working days.
Potential Consequences for Meta
Meta faces a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover if found to have breached EU antitrust rules.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Potter, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Chris Reese)
