I=8 Meta to offer EU users a less-personalized ads option, says EU Commission
The EU Commission said Meta has agreed to give EU users a choice between consenting to data sharing and receiving fully personalized ads, or using the service with a less-personalized ads option.
“Meta will give users the effective choice between: consenting to share all their data and seeing fully personalized advertising, and opting to share less personal data for an experience with more limited personalized advertising. Meta will present these new options to users in the EU in January 2026,” EU Commission said in a statement.
The commission said once implemented, it will seek feedback and evidence from Meta and other stakeholders on the impact and uptake of this model.
The Financial Times reported in October that Meta and the EU Commission were nearing a deal on the “pay or consent” model.
Assessment
This is the same model that Meta introduced in November 2024 and which the EU Commission said in April 2025 that it was examining it to see if it meets the requirement of the DMA. In July, the commission said that the changes made by Meta appeared limited and needed further reworking. My earlier projection was that Meta would introduce an option without personalized ads but with non-skippable ad breaks. Therefore, this seems like good news. The problem is that users might test the feature in the short-term to see if it’s advantageous, which could lead to revenue headwind.
Do you think it is a very similar model to the one in Nov 2024 or is it likely that a lot of changes on the details have been made and for example it forces Meta to present the choice in a way that will lead many users to decide for the less personalized option or the less personalized option will be very bad as almost no data can be used?
If the less-personalized ads model has been in effect since November 2024 and has not materially affected Meta’s earnings so far, then today’s announcement could be positive. However, it’s also possible that user access of the option has been low up to this point, and making the choice more visible could introduce new headwinds.
I=6 EU Commission said Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding usage of third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) assistants in WhatsApp
EU Commission said its preliminary investigation indicate Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) assistants.
It plans to impose interim measures to prevent Meta’s policy change from causing “serious and irreparable harm” on the market , subject to Meta’s reply and rights of defense.
Meta banned third-party AI assistants in WhatsApp in October 2025 and the EU Commission opened formal proceedings in December 2025.
EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a Bloomberg interview that Meta risks a temporary ban in the EU (Min: 1:00).
I=6 Meta will allow third-party AI chatbots in WhatsApp for a fee in order to meet EU demands
Meta said it will allow third-party AI chatbots in WhatsApp via its business API for the next 12 months in Europe so as to give the EU Commission time to complete its investigation.
Meta said general-purpose AI chatbot providers (such ChatGPT, Claude, or Poke) will be charged a fee ranging from €0.0490 to €0.1323 per “non-template message,” which would be a lot given conversations normally comprise of dozens of messages.
The EU Commission said it is analyzing the impact of these changes on its interim measures.
Meta had rejected the EU decision saying AI chatbots strain its system.
Assessment
Introducing a fee could reduce regulatory pressure because the EU investigation would move from a full ban on rival AI chatbots to assessing whether Meta’s access terms are fair. However, since regulators view WhatsApp as a key distribution gateway for AI assistants, the Commission could still force Meta to lower or modify the fee if it is seen as anti-competitive.
The DMA Act allows gatekeepers such as WhatsApp to charge a fee for using its services as long as it’s fair.
I=6 EU Commission rejects Meta’s proposal to charge a fee to allow third-party AI chatbots in WhatsApp and announces interim measures
The EU Commission rejects Meta’s proposal to charge a fee to allow third-party AI chatbots in WhatsApp, saying it is equivalent to the previous access ban.
The commission said it will “impose interim measures on Meta Platforms to prevent these policy changes from causing serious and irreparable harm on the market , subject to Meta’s reply and rights of defence.”
Fines for breaching EU antitrust laws can be as high as 10% of global annual revenue, although it’s rare to reach this level.
Assessment
While I think the interim measures such as fines will be negligible for Meta, opening up WhatsApp to third party AI companies will diminish Meta’s AI competitive advantage.
