Meta's accused of violating European antitrust rules. What the dispute is all about.

Dow Jones12-04

MW Meta's accused of violating European antitrust rules. What the dispute is all about.

By Steve Goldstein

The European Commission has opened an investigation into practices at Meta's WhatsApp.

The European Commission on Thursday accused Meta Platforms of violating antitrust rules, in the latest salvo by European regulators against American technology firms.

The formal probe concerns WhatsApp, its popular messaging service, and a new policy the company announced in October and set to go into effect next year that would prohibit AI providers from using a tool allowing businesses to communicate with customers.

The European Commission said it's concerrned the new policy may prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp.

"Several AI providers offer access to their AI assistants through WhatsApp, enabling users to interact with conversational AI directly within the app for tasks such as answering questions, generating content or accessing customer support," said the European Commission.

The European probe will exclude Italy, which is conducting its own investigation.

A message left with Meta was not immediately returned.

Meta stock (META) edged higher in premarket trade. This year the stock has gained 9%, underperforming the S&P 500 SPX and the broader Magnificent Seven grouping of megacap tech stocks.

-Steve Goldstein

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December 04, 2025 05:55 ET (10:55 GMT)

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Meta's accused of violating European antitrust rules. What the dispute is all about.

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