EU orders Meta to restore free WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots amid antitrust probe
By
Jess Weatherbed
Summary
The European Commission has issued a rare interim order requiring Meta to restore free WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots while it investigates whether Meta violated EU competition rules by banning third-party AI assistants from its platform. This is only the second time in over 20 years that the EU has used this emergency power, highlighting the seriousness of the antitrust concerns in the emerging general-purpose AI assistant market.
Source
bskyEU orders Meta to restore free WhatsApp access for rival AI chatbots amid antitrust probetheverge.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe rare interim measure announced on Tuesday was deemed necessary 'to prevent serious and irreparable damage to competition' in the general-purpose AI assistant market.
This is only the second time that the EU has used the emergency power in more than 20 years, Politico reports.
It follows the launch of a formal investigation in December 2025 into whether Meta was abusing its market dominance by banning third-party AI
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