Brussels, Belgium – The European Commission has formally charged the US-based company Meta with violating antitrust rules after the company implemented a new policy in mid-January that restricts its artificial intelligence services to its Meta AI assistant on WhatsApp. This policy also prevents competing apps from utilizing these services.
The Commission stated that it may impose provisional measures to protect the market from any potential irreparable harm. It also noted that the company exempted Italy from this policy. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Competition Authority decided to suspend the policy and open a similar investigation.
This comes as Meta began rolling out voice and video calling via WhatsApp Web directly from the browser. This feature is fully encrypted. According to the specialized website WABetaInfo, the current rollout is limited to one-on-one chats. Plans are in place to support group calls of up to 32 participants, as well as scheduling features and call links in future updates.
These developments come as major technology companies expand their integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into their applications. This has prompted the European Union to strengthen its oversight of the digital market to ensure fair competition and protect users from monopolies.
The European Commission has previously launched similar investigations against companies such as Google, Apple, and Meta regarding their digital policies. The Commission has also rejected calls to postpone the implementation of AI regulations, affirming its commitment to enforcing the regulations to protect the market and consumers from any practices that could harm fair competition.
These European measures follow a series of fines and penalties imposed by the Commission on major technology companies. These fines are part of the new digital law aimed at regulating major digital markets and ensuring competitiveness. This reflects the European Union’s seriousness in combating monopolies and protecting users’ rights.
