EU warns Meta over blocking rival AI chatbots on WhatsApp

The European Commission issued a formal warning to Meta Platforms Inc. on February 9, threatening interim measures if the company does not address concerns that it is blocking rival artificial intelligence chatbots on its WhatsApp messaging service. The EU's competition regulators sent a statement of objections, or charges, to Meta over a suspected violation of the bloc's rules, according to a report from Reuters.

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera stated that the Commission intends to impose interim measures to prevent serious and irreparable harm to rivals, a move that mirrors actions taken by Italy's competition watchdog in December 2025. "We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field, which means we cannot allow dominant tech companies to illegally leverage their dominance to give themselves an unfair advantage," Ribera said in a statement reported by Reuters. The investigation centers on whether Meta is abusing its dominant market position by restricting competing AI services on its platform.

This regulatory action follows the opening of a formal investigation by the European Commission in December, as confirmed by CNBC. That investigation was launched to examine whether Meta was violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by preventing third-party AI assistants from integrating with or being offered on WhatsApp. The DMA designates large tech companies as "gatekeepers" and imposes strict rules on them to ensure fair competition and contestability in digital markets.

According to CNBC's coverage, the interim measures the EU is threatening are designed to force a reversal of WhatsApp's AI policy while the broader investigation is ongoing. The concern is that Meta's practices could stifle innovation and limit user choice in the rapidly evolving AI chatbot sector by giving an unfair advantage to its own AI products. The Commission's swift move toward interim measures indicates it views the potential anti-competitive behavior as requiring immediate action to prevent lasting market damage.

In a separate financial development from October 2025, Meta secured a $27 billion financing deal with Blue Owl Capital to fund its largest data center project globally, located in Louisiana. Reuters reported that the project, known as Hyperion in Richland Parish, is projected to deliver more than 2 gigawatts of compute capacity to support the training of large language models. This financing arrangement underscores Meta's significant investment in the infrastructure required to power its own artificial intelligence ambitions.

Under the terms of the October deal, Meta retained about 20% equity in the Louisiana project, with the majority owned by funds managed by Blue Owl Capital. Blue Owl contributed roughly $7 billion in cash to the joint venture, and Meta received a one-time payout of approximately $3 billion. This investment is part of a broader race among large technology companies to build out the advanced computing infrastructure necessary for AI development.

The EU's action against Meta reflects a continued and escalating regulatory focus on the market power of major technology firms, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Regulators are increasingly scrutinizing how these companies might use their control over vast platforms and user data to limit competition from smaller rivals and emerging technologies. The interim measure threat represents a proactive regulatory tool to prevent potential anti-competitive harm before a full investigation is concluded.

The outcome of this case could have significant implications for how gatekeeper platforms operate within the European Union and may set a precedent for regulating competitive behavior in the AI sector. Market participants and competitors will be watching closely to see if Meta makes changes to its WhatsApp policies to accommodate rival AI services or if the EU follows through on its threat to impose binding interim measures.