Brussels and Spain Investigate Meta Over Competition and Privacy Violations

In a significant move, both the European Commission and the Spanish political party PSOE have taken steps to investigate Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, over allegations of potential competition and privacy violations. On Thursday, Teresa Ribera, the European Commissioner for Competition and Vice President of the European Commission, announced the initiation of an investigation concerning Meta's new policy affecting AI providers' access to the popular messaging application WhatsApp. Ribera stated that the investigation aims to determine whether Meta's policy could violate EU competition rules, given its potential to cause irreparable harm to competition within the AI sector. The Commission suspects that the changes announced last October may hinder competing AI applications from reaching customers on WhatsApp, while allowing Meta’s own AI services continued access. As a result of this upcoming policy shift, significant AI companies, including OpenAI and Microsoft, have already declared their intention to cease operations on WhatsApp starting January 15, 2026, underscoring the seriousness of the situation. The Commission anticipates that Meta will enforce the new policy via an update to the WhatsApp Business Application Programming Interface (API) terms. Parallel to this, the PSOE has registered a request in the Spanish Congress for the appearance of Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, along with Jared Oliván, Meta's COO, and José Luis Zimmermann, Meta's Director of Public Affairs for Spain and Portugal. This request comes in light of recent reports indicating a significant potential violation of the privacy of millions of users across Spain and Europe. At the IV Metafuturo Forum hosted by Atresmedia, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his government’s commitment to fully investigate the matter. He emphasized the necessity to ensure accountability and protect the fundamental rights that may have been compromised by Meta's practices. Sánchez proclaimed that in Spain, the law surpasses any algorithm or tech corporation, stating, "Those who violate our rights will face the consequences." This dual investigation reflects growing scrutiny over big tech companies and highlights the importance of upholding user privacy and maintaining fair competition in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic will be observing these developments closely as the ramifications could reshape how tech companies operate within Europe and beyond. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2