WORLD NEWS: The EU requires Meta to open WhatsApp to rival chatbots and threatens million-dollar fines – Economy
World News Update:
International observers are closely monitoring the latest developments as new information continues to emerge.
The European Commission ordered the US company Meta to allow free access to competing artificial intelligence assistants to WhatsApp while an antitrust investigation progresses. The measure intensifies the fight between Brussels and the large American technology companies and could lead to sanctions of up to 10% of the company’s global turnover. The dispute between the European Union and the large technology companies of the United States adds a new chapter, this time, the center of the confrontation is WhatsApp and the growing market for artificial intelligence (AI) assistants, a sector that Brussels considers strategic and that seeks to keep open to competition. The European Commission ordered the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to restore access to third-party chatbots and artificial intelligence assistants within a period of five business days, in what would be a precautionary measure that will remain in force while the community bloc develops an investigation into possible anti-competitive practices by the American company. According to the European Executive, the decision responds to concerns that Meta has used its dominant position to restrict competitors’ access to the WhatsApp ecosystem, one of the most used instant messaging platforms in the world. Statement from the Meta spokesperson to the EU. © france 24 Spanish The Commission maintains that these restrictions could constitute a violation of European competition rules and the practice would be likely to generate damage that is difficult to reverse in a market that is only beginning to consolidate. Read alsoElections: can AI be trusted when it suggests a candidate? – In Context – France 24 The European Commissioner for Competition, Teresa Ribera, stated that the measure seeks to prevent Meta’s conduct from causing “serious and irreparable” harm to competition in the artificial intelligence sector. The official assured that Brussels’ priority is to guarantee that European users can freely choose which AI assistants they want to use within the application. “We are not asking Meta to do something new, to implement a new technical solution or to implement something technically complex. It is very simple. We simply ask Meta to return to what it did on its own until January of this year, nothing more,” commented Ribera. The start of the dispute The investigation formally began in December, when community authorities began to examine the policy adopted by Meta to block access to artificial intelligence providers other than Meta AI. According to the Commission, the company changed its conditions in October 2025 so that, in practice, rival assistants were excluded from the platform. Read alsoElections: can AI be trusted when it suggests a candidate? – In Context – France 24 Brussels had already warned the company in February about the possibility of imposing precautionary measures if it did not eliminate access barriers. In response, Meta proposed a tariff system to allow the integration of external artificial intelligence services, although European regulators rejected the proposal in April, considering that the economic scheme presented amounted, in fact, to maintaining the ban. To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies. Accept Manage my options An extension in your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site. Retry Cover image: Elon Musk (right) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are both on the witness list for trial in a case brought against the startup by the Tesla mogul. © Frederic J. Brown, Jung Yeon-je, AFP The European Commission argues that the development of generative artificial intelligence is going through a crucial stage and that the existence of multiple competitors is essential to prevent a few companies from accumulating excessive power over technological innovation. “We need to protect a growing market for general-purpose AI assistants,” European authorities noted when justifying the urgency of the intervention. With information from EFE and AFP.
International Perspective:
This event is already generating discussion among political analysts and international organizations worldwide.
Additional reactions from governments and international institutions are expected as the situation evolves.
More details may emerge as official sources continue releasing new information.
Source: This article was originally published by France 24 – Noticias y actualidad internacional en vivo and adapted for our international English-speaking audience.
Read the original article here.