After Italy, WhatsApp excludes Brazil from rival chatbot ban

WhatsApp has decided to allow AI developers to continue offering their chatbot services to users in Brazil, just days after the nation's competition authority directed the platform to halt a new policy that would restrict access to third-party chatbots via its business API. The controversial policy was set to impose a 90-day grace period starting January 15, during which developers would have to stop responding to user inquiries through the app and inform users that their chatbots would no longer function on WhatsApp. However, according to a notice from Meta, developers are now exempt from notifying Brazilian users with the country code +55 about these changes. The notice clarified, “The requirement to cease responding to user queries and implement pre-approved auto-reply language no longer applies when messaging people with a Brazil country code (+55).” WhatsApp has not yet confirmed this decision publicly. This policy shift is significant as it primarily affects general-purpose chatbots such as ChatGPT and Grok, although businesses are still permitted to use bots for customer service on the platform. Brazil's competition agency has stated it will investigate whether Meta's terms are discriminatory against competitors and favor its own chatbot, Meta AI. This is not the first time Meta has made such an adjustment; a similar exemption was provided for users in Italy after that country raised concerns about the policy in December. Additionally, the European Union has initiated an antitrust investigation into these new regulations. Meta argues that AI chatbots have been placing undue pressure on its systems, which were not originally designed for these applications. A spokesperson for WhatsApp stated, “These claims are fundamentally flawed. The emergence of AI chatbots on our Business API put a strain on our systems that they were not designed to support.” They emphasized that AI companies should utilize app stores, their own websites, and industry collaborations to reach their audience, rather than relying solely on the WhatsApp Business Platform.