Overview
- The European Commission issued a binding interim order on Tuesday that requires Meta/WhatsApp to reinstate cost‑free access for general third‑party AI assistants to the WhatsApp for Business API within five working days.
- The measure is provisional and will remain in force while the Commission’s competition probe, opened in December 2025, continues with no set deadline for a final ruling.
- Brussels warned it could impose fines up to 10 percent of global annual turnover and daily coercive penalties up to 5 percent of average daily revenue if Meta fails to comply.
- Meta rejected the order as a regulatory overreach and said it will challenge the decision in court, arguing that mandatory free access would shift costs onto small paying businesses.
- Regulators say the API is a vital distribution channel that gives services direct reach to millions of users, so the order aims to protect consumer choice and stop European and smaller AI developers from being shut out.