The Japan Times - EU rejects Meta's pay-for-access remedy in WhatsApp AI chatbots probe

Meta started charging a fee as redress in March after an EU probe found it had "effectively" barred third-party artificial intelligence assistants from the messaging platform -- in breach of competition rules.

But the European Commission, the European Union's competition watchdog, said it was unsatisfied with the remedy.

"Replacing the legal ban with pricing that has a similar effect does not change our preliminary view that Meta's conduct appears to be an abuse of its dominant position, that may seriously harm competition," said the bloc's antitrust chief, Teresa Ribera.

The commission said it intended to order Meta to reinstate third-party AI assistants' access to WhatsApp under the same conditions as before its October 2025 policy change as part of interim measures pending completion of the probe.

Opened in December, the EU investigation is part of attempts by the 27-nation bloc to rein in Big Tech firms, many of which are based in the United States, which has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump.

Meta has integrated its own generative assistant, Meta AI, across the company's platforms, which also include Facebook and Instagram, used by billions of people globally.

Its restrictions on rivals apply when AI is the core service offered -- as with a chatbot or assistant -- though firms can still use AI for support functions such as customer service via WhatsApp.

EU regulators are concerned that locking WhatsApp's more than three billion users into Meta AI could give the company a commercial advantage over rival chatbots, particularly smaller market entrants.

The investigation was extended to Italy and now covers the entire European Economic Area (EEA), made up of the bloc's 27 states, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, the commission said Wednesday.

Italy had been previously excluded for it had opened its own separate probe into the matter.

K.Hashimoto--JT