Regulators give Meta five days to restore free access or face potential antitrust penalties.
Image: Reuters
The European Union has ordered Meta to allow rival AI chatbots free access to WhatsApp within five working days as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation.
The move follows an EU probe launched in December over concerns that Meta unfairly restricted access to WhatsApp for AI providers competing with Meta AI. Regulators say the restrictions could harm competition in the rapidly growing AI assistant market.
EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said the decision is intended to prevent serious and irreversible damage to competition while the investigation continues.
According to the European Commission, Meta must restore access for third-party AI assistants under the same conditions that existed before policy changes introduced in October 2025. The EU rejected Meta’s earlier proposal to charge competitors a fee for access, arguing that it effectively maintained the restrictions.
If Meta fails to comply, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover. The case is part of the EU’s broader effort to increase oversight of major technology companies and ensure fair competition in digital markets.
