BRUSSELS, March 5, 2026, 16:36 CET
- Meta to let third-party, general-purpose AI chatbots use WhatsApp Business API in Europe for 12 months, for a fee
- EU antitrust regulators are weighing interim measures in a probe over access restrictions
- Poke.com developer says pricing still shuts rivals out
Meta Platforms, Inc. will let rival artificial intelligence chatbots connect with users on WhatsApp in Europe for the next 12 months, charging a fee to access its WhatsApp Business API. “We believe that this removes the need for any immediate intervention,” a Meta spokesperson said. 1
The European Commission has warned Meta it may impose interim measures — a temporary order meant to stop conduct that could cause “serious and irreparable harm” before the watchdog reaches a final antitrust decision. “We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field,” EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said when regulators set out the case against the company, while Meta argued there was no need for the EU to step in. 2
Meta’s fee in Europe ranges from €0.0490 to €0.1323 per “non-template” message, TechCrunch reported, with rates varying by country; the term refers to ordinary messages rather than pre-approved templates. The company introduced the broader restriction on Jan. 15 and the change does not apply to businesses using AI tools for customer support on WhatsApp, TechCrunch reported. 3
The Interaction Company, a California firm behind the Poke.com assistant and a complainant to EU and Italian regulators, urged Brussels to go ahead with an interim order. “What Meta presents as good-faith compliance is in reality the opposite,” its CEO Marvin von Hagen said, calling the pricing “vexatious.” 4
A per-message fee is easy to post and hard to absorb. High-traffic chatbots can rack up thousands of short replies in a day, and the math gets ugly fast for smaller developers.
Meta has already faced similar orders outside Brussels. MarketScreener, citing Dow Jones Newswires, said the company reopened WhatsApp to rival AI operators in Italy in January after an injunction and will apply the same pricing policy in Brazil after a court reinstated a related order this week. 5
The WhatsApp Business API is the software interface companies use to send and receive messages at scale. Regulators are treating it less like a tool for retailers and more like a gatekeeper for consumer AI assistants that want to live inside the same chat threads as family and work.
Indonesia’s communications ministry issued a “stern warning” to Meta on Thursday, accusing the company of failing to curb online gambling and disinformation across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The ministry said Meta acted on only 28.47% of flagged material and Minister Meutya Hafid warned such content “threaten lives in Indonesia.” 6
Meta, meanwhile, is trying to head off backlash over the infrastructure that powers its own AI push. It joined Google, Microsoft and Amazon at the White House on Wednesday in signing a pledge to bear the cost of new electricity generation needed for data centers, as communities and lawmakers scrutinise power bills and grid strain tied to rapid data-center growth. 7
In the United States, prosecutors in New Mexico began showing video depositions from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri in a consumer-protection trial focused on alleged harms to children. Mosseri said Meta would “prioritize safety over profits” but added that “problematic content will be seen,” pointing to Instagram’s size. 8
But the EU case is not over. Regulators could still decide Meta’s fees or technical terms do not restore workable access for competitors, and a tougher order could force different pricing or a broader opening after the 12-month window expires.
Meta shares were down about 0.7% in early New York trading.
