The European Commission formally charged Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) on Monday with breaching antitrust rules, accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominant position by blocking rival artificial intelligence assistants from its WhatsApp messaging service.
In a "statement of objections" sent to the Menlo Park, California-based company, EU regulators alleged that Meta’s recent policy update—which went into effect on Jan. 15, 2026—effectively creates a walled garden for its own "Meta AI."
The policy prohibits third-party developers from using the WhatsApp Business API if the "primary purpose" of the integration is to distribute a general-purpose AI assistant.
This move has already forced major rivals like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Luzia to pull their services from the platform, which boasts over 3 billion users globally.
"Meta is using its gatekeeper status in messaging to gain an unfair advantage in the rapidly evolving AI market," the Commission said in a statement.
To prevent what it calls "serious and irreparable harm" to the competitive landscape, the EU watchdog threatened to impose interim measures—legal orders that could force Meta to immediately re-open WhatsApp to competitors while the full investigation proceeds.
Meta has defended the move, claiming that the high volume of messages from third-party chatbots placed a "strain on systems they were not designed to support."
However, regulators noted that Meta’s own assistant remains fully integrated, suggesting the restriction is more about market dominance than technical stability.
If found guilty of violating Article 102 of the TFEU, Meta could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover—potentially exceeding $16 billion based on its most recent financial reports.