US EditionEU launches antitrust probe into Meta over use of AI in WhatsApp
The EU is probing whether Meta's new policy blocks rival AI providers on WhatsApp, potentially abusing its dominant position in the AI chatbot market, EU officials said.
- On Thursday, EU competition chief Teresa Ribera confirmed the European Commission opened a competition procedure against Meta-owned WhatsApp over AI integration.
- Meta rolled out its Meta AI assistant earlier this year and introduced an October policy that may restrict third-party AI providers from WhatsApp Business, while Italy's antitrust watchdog opened a separate probe in July.
- The probe will be pursued under traditional antitrust rules, and officials told the Financial Times the European Commission was set to announce it in the coming days, though timing could shift.
- If opened, the case would join recent Big Tech enforcement actions, following the 2.95 billion euro Google fine and the 200 million euro Meta prior fine this year.
- Ribera argued the bloc must act to prevent dominant firms from crowding out competitors, saying, `This is why we are investigating if Meta's new policy might be illegal under competition rules, and whether we should act quickly to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space.
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EU Commission hits Meta with antitrust probe despite US pressure
The tech giant is alleged to have abused its dominant position with rules on AI WhatsApp integration. The probe could further strain EU-US talks on European steel and aluminium, which have already been hit with steep US tariffs.
Meta wants to set limits for AI providers at WhatsApp. The EU Commission is now investigating whether this is compatible with competition law.
TechCrunch
EU investigating Meta over policy change that bans rival AI chatbots from WhatsApp
The European Commission is is launching an antitrust investigation into Meta's move to ban other AI companies from using WhatsApp's business tools to offer their own AI chatbots to users.
The WhatsApp parent company Meta is threatening trouble in Brussels: The competition guardians of the EU Commission suspect that Meta is exploiting its market power. Specifically, it is about blocking AI tools from third-party providers.[more]]>
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