Brazil Halts Meta’s Ban on Third-Party AI Chatbots in WhatsApp
In a significant move, Brazil’s competition authority, the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), has mandated that Meta suspend its recent policy prohibiting third-party AI chatbots from operating on WhatsApp. This directive is accompanied by an investigation into whether Meta’s actions constitute anti-competitive behavior.
In October 2025, Meta updated the terms of its WhatsApp Business API, effectively barring external AI providers from integrating their chatbots into the platform. This policy change, set to take effect on January 15, 2026, has raised concerns among AI companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft, whose chatbots would be excluded from WhatsApp under the new rules. Notably, the policy does not prevent businesses from deploying their own AI-driven customer service bots within WhatsApp.
CADE’s investigation aims to determine if Meta’s revised terms are exclusionary, potentially favoring its own AI chatbot, Meta AI, over competitors. The agency stated that there is a possibility of anti-competitive conduct of an exclusive nature arising from the new WhatsApp terms imposed by Meta.
This development in Brazil mirrors actions taken by other regulatory bodies. In December 2025, the European Commission initiated an antitrust investigation into Meta’s policy change, expressing concerns that it might prevent third-party AI providers from offering their services through WhatsApp in the European Economic Area. Similarly, Italy’s competition authority ordered Meta to suspend the policy, citing potential abuse of a dominant market position.
Meta has defended its policy, asserting that the WhatsApp Business API was not designed to serve as a platform for distributing general-purpose chatbots. The company argues that users have alternative avenues to access AI bots from other providers. However, in response to regulatory pressures, Meta has indicated a willingness to allow AI providers to continue offering their chatbots to users in certain regions, such as Italy, even after the new rules take effect.
The outcome of CADE’s investigation could have significant implications for the integration of AI technologies within messaging platforms and the competitive landscape of digital communication services.
