WhatsApp is continuing to allow AI providers access to users with Brazilian phone numbers, despite orders from the country to halt new restrictions imposed by its updated policy.
Brazil Defies WhatsApp’s Chatbot Policy
Regulators in Brazil and Italy have raised concerns over WhatsApp’s new rules regarding third-party chatbots.
- WhatsApp is pausing implementation of its new chatbot policy in Brazil following a request from regulatory authorities.
- The policy, set to take effect Thursday, January 15, would have prevented third-party chatbots from operating on the platform through its Business API.
- Italy has also been exempted from the ban due to similar regulatory concerns.
- Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, has instructed developers not to notify Brazilian users (+55 country code) of any changes.
Brazilian regulatory authorities requested WhatsApp suspend a new policy, effective Thursday, January 15, that would block third-party, general-purpose chatbots from functioning on the platform via its Business API. Italy has also received an exemption after its regulators voiced concerns about the new rules.
WhatsApp is providing a 90-day grace period, beginning Thursday, January 15, for AI providers and developers to cease responding to user inquiries on the app and to inform users that their chatbots will no longer work. However, according to reports, Meta has informed developers they are not required to notify users with Brazilian phone numbers (+55) of these changes or discontinue their services.
“The requirement to cease responding to user queries and implement pre-approved auto-reply language before January 15, 2026, no longer applies when messaging people with a Brazil country code (+55),” a notice to AI providers reportedly stated.
Chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok, designed for general use, are expected to be impacted by the new policy on WhatsApp. The policy does not affect businesses using bots for customer service within the platform.
Brazilian Antitrust Body to Investigate
The Brazilian antitrust body, CADE, indicated it will investigate Meta’s terms to determine if they stifle competition and favor its own AI offering, Meta AI, available on WhatsApp. On Monday, CADE announced it had launched an investigation and would suspend the new terms of WhatsApp Business in the country while the case is evaluated.
CADE expressed concerns about potential anti-competitive practices within the new policy, specifically regarding access and the ability of AI tool providers to offer their technology to WhatsApp users.
This isn’t the first challenge Meta has faced regarding this policy. The company previously granted a similar exemption to Italy after regulators there raised objections late last year.
European Union regulators also intensified their scrutiny of Meta’s AI use in WhatsApp late last year, focusing primarily on the “Meta AI” system, which launched in March, according to reports.
Meta has maintained that AI chatbots place a strain on its systems, which were originally designed for different uses of its Business API. The company has suggested that AI firms seeking to offer chatbots should do so outside the WhatsApp platform, through app stores, websites, or industry partnerships.
“These claims are fundamentally flawed,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said in response to CADE’s probe on Tuesday.
“The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API put a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support,” the spokesperson explained, adding that app stores, websites, and industry partnerships are the appropriate channels for AI firms, “not the WhatsApp Business Platform.”
