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EU Opens a New Front Against Meta

The European Union has launched a sweeping antitrust investigation into Meta, targeting the company’s newly updated policy governing how artificial intelligence services can interact with WhatsApp’s business tools. Regulators say the changes may limit competition in one of the world’s fastest-growing communication and customer-service markets.

This marks one of the most significant EU actions against Meta this year and adds to the bloc’s broader campaign to rein in the dominance of large US technology firms.

What Triggered the Investigation

In October, Meta rolled out a new policy that restricts AI providers from using WhatsApp’s Business API if their primary product is an AI-driven service. The WhatsApp Business API is widely used by companies to automate communication, send alerts, and support customers — a gateway that many AI startups rely on to reach clients.

Under the new rules, AI-first companies cannot build customer-facing services inside WhatsApp, though non-AI businesses can still use AI tools for basic functions such as customer support. European officials say this change may “significantly undermine” the ability of independent AI developers to compete across the European Economic Area.

The investigation covers the entire EEA except Italy, which is conducting its own parallel review of Meta’s conduct.

Meta Pushes Back Hard

WhatsApp denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “baseless.”
A spokesperson said the WhatsApp API was never designed to support high-volume AI chatbots and that such uses “strain system resources” and risk degrading service quality for billions of users.

Meta also stressed that the AI ecosystem is flourishing across multiple platforms — including app stores, web tools, email-based bots, and OS-level integrations — suggesting that no single platform can determine market access.

Why the EU Is Concerned

Regulators say Meta’s updated restrictions could:

• Limit how AI providers distribute their services
• Strengthen Meta’s own position in conversational AI and automated messaging
• Reduce innovation and choice for European businesses

EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera emphasized the stakes, noting that Europe must ensure AI “remains open, fair, and competitive” to avoid entrenched dominance by powerful incumbents.

Massive Fines and Long Timelines

The penalties at risk are substantial. EU antitrust fines can reach up to 10 percent of a company’s global annual revenue. For Meta — which reported more than $134 billion in revenue last year — this means potential penalties in the double-digit billions.

The EU has recently taken aggressive action against other major tech players:

• Google was fined €2.95 billion for anticompetitive practices in advertising.
• Apple received a €500 million penalty over anti-steering rules.
• Meta, earlier this year, was fined €200 million for failing to offer a data-minimised service option.

EU investigations of this scale often run for several years, and no end date has been set.

A Transatlantic Flashpoint

The escalating scrutiny of US tech giants has already sparked political tension.
Former President Donald Trump previously warned that the US may impose retaliatory measures, including tariffs, if the EU continues issuing large fines against American companies.

What Comes Next

The European Commission will now gather documents, interview market participants, and evaluate whether Meta’s policy gives it an unfair advantage over independent AI developers. If the Commission sees an urgent threat to competition, it could impose interim measures even before the final decision.

For now, Meta faces yet another major regulatory battle — one that could reshape how AI services operate inside WhatsApp across Europe.