"Under the new policy, the company is providing a 90-day grace period starting January 15 to developers and AI providers, mandating them to cease responding to user queries on the chat app, and notify users that their chatbots won't work on WhatsApp. Now, Meta told developers that they don't have to notify users with Brazilian phone numbers (with code +55) of any changes or cease offering their services, per a notice to AI providers seen by TechCrunch."
""The requirement to cease responding to user queries and implement pre-approved auto-reply language (mentioned below) before January 15, 2026, no longer applies when messaging people with a Brazil country code (+55)," the notice reads. WhatsApp did not immediately respond to a query seeking to confirm the decision. The policy, which goes into effect from today, impacts general-purpose chatbots like ChatGPT and Grok on the platform."
"In its notice, Brazil's competition agency said it would investigate if Meta's terms are exclusionary to competitors and unduly favor Meta AI, the company's chatbot that's offered on WhatsApp. Meta has previously provided a similar exemption to users in Italy after the country's competition agency took issue with the policy in December. Separately, the EU has also opened an antitrust investigation into the new rules."
WhatsApp is permitting AI providers to keep offering general-purpose chatbots to users with Brazilian phone numbers (+55) despite a Brazilian competition regulator ordering suspension of its policy that would bar third-party chatbots via the business API. The company had announced a 90-day grace period starting January 15 requiring developers to stop responding and notify users, but Meta told developers they need not notify or cease services for Brazilian numbers. The policy affects general-purpose bots like ChatGPT and Grok but does not restrict business customer-service bots. Brazil's agency will investigate whether Meta's terms disadvantage competitors; Italy and the EU have raised similar concerns.
Read at TechCrunch
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