Brazil's competition watchdog has ordered WhatsApp to put on hold its policy that bars third-party AI companies from using its business API to offer chatbots on the app. The agency has also started an investigation against the company to determine if the policy is anti-competitive.

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Brazil's competition watchdog CADE has ordered Meta to suspend its policy that prohibits third-party AI companies from offering chatbots through WhatsApp's Business API. The agency launched an antitrust investigation to determine if the policy unfairly favors Meta AI over competitors like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft. This follows similar investigations by the EU and Italy. Meta changed its WhatsApp Business API terms in October 2024, with enforcement beginning January 15, 2026, claiming AI chatbots strain systems designed for business customer support.

Brazil orders Meta to suspend policy banning third-party AI chatbots from WhatsApp