Brazil’s antitrust authority has instructed Meta to suspend enforcement of a new WhatsApp rule that blocks third-party AI providers from operating chatbots on the platform’s Business API, while it opens a formal investigation into potential abuse of market power.
CADE Freezes WhatsApp Terms Amid Antitrust Probe
The Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) said it sees indications of exclusionary conduct stemming from Meta’s updated WhatsApp Business Solution Terms. The watchdog will examine whether the policy unfairly tilts the field toward Meta’s own assistant, Meta AI, by shutting out rival AI tools that connect via the same commercial interface used by companies for messaging customers.
Meta revised its terms last year to prohibit independent AI firms from offering chatbots through WhatsApp’s Business API. The restriction did not prevent individual companies from building their own automated assistants for customer service, but it effectively barred general-purpose AI providers from distributing their bots to users inside WhatsApp.
With CADE’s order, the ban is paused in Brazil while regulators test whether the terms constitute an anticompetitive gatekeeping tactic. Meta has not issued a public statement on the Brazilian decision.
Why Third-Party AI Access on WhatsApp Matters in Brazil
WhatsApp is a critical digital channel in Brazil, reaching the vast majority of internet users, according to DataReportal and the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br). It is deeply embedded in commerce and public services, from small retailers handling orders to large enterprises running support and notifications.
Third-party AI providers play a distinct role in that ecosystem: they supply ready-made assistants that businesses can adopt without building their own AI stack. These integrations power tasks like triaging support tickets, answering product questions, booking appointments, or guiding loan applications. Removing that layer can raise costs for smaller firms and slow the diffusion of AI features across sectors that have come to rely on WhatsApp for daily operations.
Developers also argue that independent AI agents spur competition on quality, safety, and cost. When businesses can choose among multiple models and orchestration tools, they can optimize for accuracy, language coverage, latency, or privacy controls that best fit their customers.
Meta’s Rationale and Platform Constraints
Meta has previously said that free-ranging AI chatbots stress systems built for structured business messaging and that the Business API was designed for customer support and relevant updates, not as a distribution channel for general-purpose AI. The company has emphasized that firms can deploy their own automated solutions within WhatsApp and that users can access third-party AI tools outside the app.
Platform governance is the central question. If Meta sets rules that incidentally preserve service quality and security, those limits can be legitimate. If, however, the policies foreclose rival AI providers while reserving the same capabilities for Meta’s own assistant, regulators may view the terms as exclusionary.
Global Scrutiny and Regulatory Risks Facing Meta
Brazil’s action arrives as European authorities and Italy’s competition regulator pursue their own antitrust inquiries into the WhatsApp AI policy. Under EU competition rules, violations can carry fines of up to 10% of a company’s global revenue, alongside behavioral remedies that force changes to business terms.
The investigations also intersect with a broader policy push to prevent dominant platforms from using technical rules to disadvantage rivals in emerging AI markets. Messaging apps, with their scale and engagement, are likely to be a primary distribution channel for consumer-facing AI agents, making access terms especially consequential.
What Changes Now for Developers Using WhatsApp APIs
While CADE’s suspension is in place, third-party AI vendors can continue or resume offering assistants to Brazilian users through the WhatsApp Business API. Providers including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft had prepared to withdraw their chatbots from WhatsApp after Meta’s policy shift; the ruling creates a reprieve in Brazil, though global compliance strategies may still diverge by country.
Enterprises and solution integrators should expect closer oversight of data handling, rate limits, and safety tooling. Even with the policy on hold, Meta can apply neutral, clearly documented technical constraints to manage spam, latency, and misuse—controls regulators typically allow when they are transparent and non-discriminatory.
What to Watch Next in Brazil’s WhatsApp AI Case
Key signals will include whether CADE seeks formal commitments from Meta to guarantee interoperable access for compliant AI services, and whether European findings align with Brazil’s concerns. Also watch whether Meta refines its Business API to carve out a standardized path for third-party AI, including auditing, quotas, and safety guardrails that preserve service quality without picking winners.
For businesses and developers, the immediate takeaway is continuity. The larger battle—who gets to control the interface between billions of users and the next generation of AI assistants—has only begun.
