A smart phone screen pictured Dec. 2017 with the logo of WhatsApp application in Berlin, Germany. On Thursday, the European Commission said it will investigate if a new Meta policy permitting artificial intelligence providers access to the app possibly breaches the bloc’s competition regulations. File Photo by Hayoung Jeon/EPA
The European Union hit tech giant Meta with an antitrust inquiry over its alleged use of AI tools in in WhatsApp messaging platform.
On Thursday, the investigation by the European Commission will look into if a new Meta policy permitting AI provider access to the app possibly breaches the bloc’s competition regulations.
“We must ensure European citizens and businesses can benefit fully of this technological revolution and act to prevent dominant digital incumbents from abusing their power to crowd out innovative competitors,” according to Teresa Ribera, the EU’s commissioner for competition.
A WhatsApp spokesperson called the claims “baseless,” adding its application programming interface could not handle AI chatbot support and would “put a strain on our systems.”
“The AI space is highly competitive and people have access to the services of their choice in any number of ways, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations and operating systems,” the Meta-owned company told CNBC.
In October, Meta rolled out its new rule prohibiting AI providers from utilizing a feature permitting businesses to reach out to customers through WhatsApp if artificial intelligence was its main function.
European officials held concerns that Meta’s policy may “prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp in the European Economic Area.”
It arrived after the European Commission fined Google more than $3 billion for antitrust violations in digital advertising.
The European Union in October accused Meta and TikTok of breaking transparency rules in the EU’s Digital Services Act.
The EU’s investigation will cover the entirety of Europe’s economic area but Italy in order to avoid overlap in a separate Meta-related inquiry into the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company’s business conduct.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump warned the European allies to not allow the “discriminatory actions to stand” amid threat of higher tariffs for issuing fines or other regulatory policy on American tech companies.
