Wire · regulatory
EU Forces Meta to Reopen WhatsApp to ChatGPT After Rare Antitrust Order
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Fusion42 · 16 July 2026 · Fusion42 review
The EU invoked Article 8(1) interim measures—only the second use ever—to force Meta to restore ChatGPT and other rival AI assistants to WhatsApp across the EEA. Meta had blocked third-party AI bots in January 2026, citing server load; the enforcement order is now live, exposing a regulatory willingness to intervene in platform monopolies at speed.
This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of AI Agents and Enterprise Software.
◆ ◆ The Wire takeaway
If you're building an AI product that depends on being plugged into someone else's platform—Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Discord—you cannot rely on that access lasting. Meta locked ChatGPT out; the EU unlocked it, but that sword cuts both ways: regulators now expect you to fight in Brussels, not just in product.
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1 source · 15 Jul 2026
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