WhatsApp probe casts shadow ahead of Meta earnings
Meta heads into a crucial earnings week under mounting regulatory pressure, after the UK watchdog, Ofcom, opened a formal investigation into WhatsApp’s data handling.
This comes just days after Meta paused access to its AI chatbots for teenagers worldwide,
Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, said it is looking into whether the social media giant provided “incomplete or inaccurate” information about WhatsApp during a market review of business messaging services.
The probe focuses on Meta’s responses to statutory information requests issued in July 2024 and June 2025, which required the company to supply data on how WhatsApp Business operates in the application-to-person messaging market.
This market has been used by firms to send customers authentication codes, delivery notifications or appointment reminders.
Ofcom said the information gathered through such requests is a “key part” of its regulatory work, warning that failure to comply with legal requirements could result in enforcement action.
The regulator has not disclosed which aspects of Meta’s submissions are under scrutiny.
A Meta spokesperson said the company takes its obligations seriously, commits “significant resources” to responding to regulators, and will cooperate fully with the investigation.
The UK probe adds to a growing list of regulatory challenges for Meta across the UK and Europe, including scrutiny over child safety measures, age verification controls and the handling of illegal gambling adverts on its platforms.
Teen AI shutdown
The investigation comes days after Meta confirmed it had suspended access to its AI character chatbots for teenagers across Instagram, Messenger and other apps.
Mark Zuckerberg’s firm said underage users globally will be blocked from interacting with the AI personas, while Meta develops stronger parental controls and a reworked, teen-specific AI experience.
The pause followed reports and lawsuits alleging inappropriate chatbot interactions with minors, raising concerns about emotionally realistic AI systems and their impact on younger users.
Meta has described the move as temporary and aimed at buying time to strengthen safeguards.
The twin developments place renewed focus on Meta’s governance of both data and AI ahead of its quarterly results, due on Wednesday, 28 January. Four of the “Magnificent 7” tech giants are due to report this week.