Technology & Science
EU Issues Antitrust Statement of Objections Over Meta’s WhatsApp AI Lock-Out
On 9 Feb 2026 Brussels formally charged Meta with abusing WhatsApp’s dominance by banning third-party AI assistants and signaled rare emergency measures to reopen access while the case proceeds.
Focusing Facts
- Statement of Objections delivered to Meta by the European Commission on 9 Feb 2026, triggering potential interim remedies under Articles 7 & 8 of Regulation 1/2003.
- Meta’s new WhatsApp Business terms, announced Oct 2025 and enforced 15 Jan 2026, removed OpenAI’s ChatGPT (≈50 million WhatsApp users) and Microsoft Copilot from the platform, leaving only Meta AI.
- Italian and Brazilian regulators issued opposite interim rulings in Dec 2025 and Jan 2026 respectively—Italy ordered Meta to keep APIs open, while a Brazilian court suspended a similar order.
Context
The clash echoes the EU’s 2004 decision fining Microsoft €497 million for bundling Windows Media Player and the 2018 €4.3 billion Android judgment against Google—instances where a dominant gateway was used to foreclose adjacent markets. Today’s dispute sits at the intersection of two longer arcs: (1) the century-long regulatory pattern of prying open essential communication pipes—from AT&T’s 1913 Kingsbury Commitment to net-neutrality debates—to prevent owners of networks from privileging their own services; and (2) the emerging consolidation of AI distribution, where control over consumer endpoints (phones, messaging apps, voice assistants) may matter more than model quality. Whether Brussels ultimately forces API openness or not, the proceeding signals to every “gatekeeper” that AI access can trigger antitrust intervention even before market shares crystallize. On a 100-year horizon, this could shape whether AI becomes a federated utility akin to email or a walled-garden ecosystem like cable TV—affecting innovation paths, data flows, and the bargaining power of future entrants.
Perspectives
European and international media outlets focused on competition enforcement
e.g., The Indian Express, Anadolu Ajansı — Present the EU’s charge as a justified effort to curb Meta’s abuse of dominance and protect rival AI assistants and consumers. Coverage relies mainly on Commission rhetoric and frames regulation as unquestionably pro-consumer, giving scant attention to compliance costs or the possibility that WhatsApp is not a crucial distribution channel.
US business and finance press
e.g., NASDAQ, Morningstar, PYMNTS — Stress Meta’s rebuttal that WhatsApp’s Business API is just one of many avenues for chatbots, hinting EU intervention might be over-reaching while tracking the impact on Meta’s share price. Investor-centric framing foregrounds Meta’s statements and market movements, potentially downplaying competition concerns flagged by regulators and echoing corporate talking points without equal scrutiny.