Brazil’s antitrust regulator, the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), opened a formal investigation into Meta Platforms’ new WhatsApp Business API terms on January 12 2026. The inquiry focuses on a policy that bars third‑party general‑purpose AI chatbots from the platform, a change that could be viewed as exclusionary and anti‑competitive.
The new terms, which take effect on January 15 2026, allow only business‑specific AI tools that are designed to support customer‑to‑business interactions. Meta says the restriction is intended to prevent strain on its infrastructure and to preserve the intended business‑to‑customer messaging model that underpins WhatsApp Business. The policy was prompted by complaints from AI‑assistant firms Luzia and Zapia, among others, who argued that the blanket ban unfairly limits competition.
WhatsApp Business has become a key driver of Meta’s diversification away from advertising. In 2023 the segment generated more than $1.3 billion in revenue, and that figure rose to $1.7 billion in 2024, representing almost all of Meta’s total WhatsApp revenue. The potential suspension of the new terms could therefore cut a growing source of subscription and service fees and expose Meta to fines of up to 10 % of its global revenue, a penalty that has been applied in similar antitrust cases in the European Union.
The investigation is part of a broader global trend of regulators scrutinizing Big Tech’s AI integration and platform control. Similar probes are underway in the European Union and Italy, and CADE’s action signals that Brazil is treating the policy as a possible violation of competition law. A suspension would force Meta to revert to its previous, more open framework, potentially altering its strategy for AI deployment across its messaging services.
The regulatory scrutiny also raises questions about Meta’s broader approach to AI. The company has positioned its own Meta AI offerings as a core part of its future growth, and the policy change has been described by Meta as a “necessary step” to protect the integrity of its messaging ecosystem. The outcome of the investigation will likely influence how Meta balances its own AI ambitions with the competitive interests of third‑party developers in other markets.
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