What happened
On June 9, 2026, EU Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera announced that the European Commission has adopted binding interim measures requiring Meta Platforms to restore free access to WhatsApp for competing AI assistants, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and smaller rivals. Meta had blocked all third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp in January 2026, and a subsequent offer to restore access at a fee was rejected by the Commission as 'not economically sustainable for competitors.' The order remains in force until June 2029 or until the underlying abuse-of-dominance investigation concludes; non-compliance triggers fines of up to 10% of annual revenue.
Why it matters
This is the first time since 2019 that the Commission has issued interim measures, and it is the first such order specifically targeting AI assistant access in a messaging platform — establishing that the EU will act fast to prevent AI market tip before investigation completion. For AI companies deploying assistants via third-party platforms (WhatsApp Business API, etc.), the order signals that interoperability and non-discriminatory access are now active competition-law obligations, not just aspirational principles.
Action needed
AI security consulting clients building or advising on AI assistant deployments via third-party messaging channels should audit their platform access agreements now; clients operating in the EU market should map their AI distribution dependency on gatekeeper platforms and assess litigation and operational risk from similar interim-measures proceedings.