EU Orders Meta to Grant Rival AI Chatbots Free Access to WhatsApp
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp’s Business API for rival AI chatbot providers, following complaints of anti-competitive behavior. The interim measure, the EU’s first in 17 years, requires Meta to reinstate pre-October 2025 terms within five working days or face fines up to 10% of global turnover. Meta plans to appeal, calling the order regulatory overreach. The investigation, opened in December 2025, targets Meta’s blocking of third-party AI assistants while keeping its own service active.
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EU Orders Meta to Reopen WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots for Free
The European Commission has ordered Meta Platforms to restore free access to the WhatsApp for Business API for rival AI assistant providers, citing risks of serious and permanent harm to competition in the AI market. Meta must reinstate terms that were in place before October 15, 2025, when it banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants while keeping its own Meta AI service available. The interim measure will remain until the Commission concludes its antitrust investigation or until June 2029. Three companies—including The Interaction Company, French startup Agentik, and an unnamed Spanish competitor—filed complaints leading to the investigation. Meta has announced it will appeal, calling the order 'regulatory overreach.' This is only the second time the EU has imposed such interim measures, following a similar action against Broadcom in 2009. Non-compliance could result in penalties up to 10% of Meta's total annual turnover.
Yahoo FinanceEU Orders Meta to Reopen WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots for Free
The European Commission has ordered Meta Platforms to restore free access to the WhatsApp for Business API for rival AI assistant providers, reversing a policy change that banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants while keeping Meta's own AI service available. The interim measure, effective within five working days, will remain until the Commission concludes its antitrust investigation or June 2029. The order follows complaints from three companies, including The Interaction Company (developer of Poke.com), French startup Agentik, and an unnamed Spanish competitor. Meta has announced it will appeal, calling the decision 'regulatory overreach.' The Commission noted this is only the second time it has imposed such interim measures, following a similar action against Broadcom in 2009. Non-compliance could result in penalties of up to 10% of Meta's annual turnover.
Yahoo FinanceEU orders Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots for free
The European Commission has ordered Meta to grant rival AI chatbots free access to its WhatsApp platform within five working days, as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation. The EU's digital watchdog warned that failure to comply could result in a fine of up to 10% of Meta's total turnover. Meta announced it would appeal the decision, calling it 'regulatory overreach.' The order follows Meta's October 2025 policy change that effectively barred third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp, and the EU's rejection of a proposed access fee in April 2026. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera stated the measure aims to prevent 'serious and irreparable harm to competition' in the growing AI assistant market. This marks the first time the EU has used such interim measures since 2019, reflecting concerns that traditional antitrust probes take too long to address market harm.
The Hindu: Latest News today from India and the World, Breaking news, Top Headlines and Trending News Videos.EU Orders Meta to Open WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots—Meta Calls It 'Regulatory Overreach'
The European Commission has ordered Meta to grant rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp's business messaging tools, escalating an antitrust dispute that began when Meta blocked competitors from its platform in October 2025. The interim measures, announced by Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, will remain in place during the investigation that started in December 2025. Meta must reinstate access for third-party general-purpose AI assistants to the WhatsApp Business API under previous terms. Meta criticized the decision as 'regulatory overreach' and announced plans to appeal, arguing that it forces the company to subsidize competitors like OpenAI. The investigation focuses on whether Meta abused its dominant position in European messaging markets. Non-compliance could result in fines up to 10% of Meta's global turnover. The article also notes a separate study finding that major AI chatbots share user data with third-party trackers.
Yahoo FinanceEU orders Meta to keep rival chatbots in WhatsApp for free
The European Commission has ordered Meta to continue allowing rival chatbots to operate on WhatsApp without charge, following through on threats to impose interim measures. The decision, reported by Euractiv on June 9, 2026, targets Meta's dominant position in messaging and aims to ensure fair competition in the chatbot market. The EU's action prevents Meta from restricting access to third-party AI chatbots on its platform, potentially reshaping the digital services landscape in Europe. This marks a significant regulatory move under the Digital Markets Act, as the Commission seeks to curb anti-competitive practices by big tech companies.
EuractivEU Orders Meta to Keep Rival Chatbots in WhatsApp for Free
The European Commission has ordered Meta to allow rival chatbots to operate within WhatsApp for free, following through on threats to use interim measures against the tech giant. This regulatory action, reported by Euractiv on June 9, 2026, aims to ensure fair competition in the messaging app market. The Commission's decision requires Meta to maintain access for competing chatbot services without charging fees, addressing concerns about anti-competitive behavior. This move is part of broader EU efforts to regulate big tech companies under digital market rules, potentially reshaping how messaging platforms integrate third-party services.
EuractivEU regulators order Meta to allow rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp
EU antitrust regulators have ordered Meta Platforms to grant rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp while investigating whether Meta abused its market power by blocking competitors. The European Commission issued an interim measure, its first in 17 years, following complaints from The Interaction Company (developer of Poke.com AI assistant), French AI startup Agentik, and a Spanish rival. The Commission opened an investigation in December 2025 and issued charges against Meta in February 2026. EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera stated the measures aim to preserve competition in the growing AI assistant market. Meta criticized the order as regulatory overreach and said it will appeal. Under the interim measure, Meta must restore rivals' access to the WhatsApp for Business API within five working days on terms that applied before October 2025. Meta faces a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover if found to have breached EU antitrust rules.
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