EU pressures platform access
European regulators have stepped up actions to open access to major platforms, probing Meta over restrictions that limited rival AI assistants’ use of WhatsApp and proposing rules that would force Google to let third‑party search engines access search data. The moves are part of the EU’s broader digital competition push and include a formal investigation into Meta’s WhatsApp access and a proposal under the Digital Markets Act for Google data access, with a final decision on Google expected in July. (dig.watch, livemint.com)
European Union regulators are pushing Meta and Google to open parts of their platforms to rivals, widening Brussels’ fight over digital gatekeepers. (ec.europa.eu) On WhatsApp, the European Commission said on February 9, 2026 that Meta may have breached antitrust rules by excluding third-party artificial intelligence assistants from accessing and interacting with users on the messaging service. The Commission opened the underlying formal investigation on December 4, 2025. (ec.europa.eu, ec.europa.eu) The Commission said on April 16, 2026 that Meta’s latest fix — restoring access for a fee — did not answer its concerns, and it warned it could impose interim measures to reverse the restrictions while the case continues. Associated Press reported the order would force Meta to restore fuller access if Brussels moves ahead. (apnews.com, usnews.com) Google is facing a parallel push under the Digital Markets Act, the European Union law for making digital markets “fairer and more contestable.” On April 16, 2026, the Commission sent Alphabet preliminary findings proposing that Google share ranking, query, click and view data with rival search engines on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) That Google process started on January 27, 2026, when the Commission opened specification proceedings to define how Google should comply with Article 6(11) of the Digital Markets Act. The proceedings cover what data must be shared, how it should be anonymized, who can get access, and whether artificial intelligence chatbot providers qualify. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The Commission opened a public consultation on the Google measures on April 16 and said interested parties can respond by May 8, 2026. It said it aims to adopt final measures by July 2026. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The two cases use different legal tools. The Meta case runs under European Union antitrust law and focuses on whether a dominant platform blocked rivals from reaching users, while the Google case uses the Digital Markets Act to spell out access rules for a company already designated as a gatekeeper. (ec.europa.eu, digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Meta said in February that its changes were designed to protect users and preserve the integrity of WhatsApp, according to the Commission’s summary of the case, while Google said in January it would continue engaging with the Commission in the compliance process. Brussels has not reached a final infringement decision in either matter. (ec.europa.eu, digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The next dates are now set: comments on Google’s proposed search-data rules are due May 8, 2026, and the Commission has said a final decision on those measures should come in July. Meta, meanwhile, is still facing the threat of an interim order over WhatsApp before the broader antitrust case is finished. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, usnews.com)
