European Union: European Commission announced investigation into Meta's blocking of AI business communications on WhatsApp for possible competition law breach

On 4 December 2025, the European Commission opened an investigation into Meta's blocking of AI business communications on WhatsApp for possible competition law breach. The company's policy change, which took effect for new users on 15 October 2025 and will take effect for AI providers already on WhatsApp on 15 January 2026, prohibits AI providers from using the WhatsApp Business Solution tool to communicate with customers via WhatsApp. The Commission will examine whether this practice may breach Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 54 of the European Economic Area Agreement. The investigation will cover the EEA except for Italy, to avoid an overlap with the Italian Competition Authority's ongoing proceedings for the possible imposition of interim measures concerning Meta's conduct.