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.