Thailand requires advertiser ID checks to curb social media scams

Thailand is requiring social media platforms to verify advertisers’ identities from November 1, 2026, as authorities tighten consumer protection against deceptive advertisements and make those behind paid online promotions easier to trace.

The measure follows widespread concern over fraudulent advertising on social platforms, which government agencies have warned has caused substantial financial losses. Investment scams, impersonation of legitimate businesses and advertisements for counterfeit goods are among the problems previously identified by the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA).

ETDA and the Electronic Transactions Committee (ETC) introduced the requirements under the ETC Notification on Measures to Prevent Technology-Related Crime for Social Media Service Providers (No. 2). Published in the Royal Gazette on May 5, 2026, the regulation forms part of efforts to tackle technology-related crime and the use of mule accounts.

Platforms must identify those behind paid ads

The rules apply to social media services that receive payment for advertisements displayed in Thailand, including platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, LINE and X.

Platforms must ensure that those responsible for placing advertisements have completed identity verification before their ads are published. They must also retain information about the payer when someone other than the advertiser covers the cost.

The requirements aim to make the people and businesses involved in paid advertising identifiable, supporting checks and investigations when suspected fraud occurs.

According to ETDA’s guidance, responsibility depends on how an advertisement is placed and paid for:

• Business owners advertising directly: An owner who places advertisements for their own products and pays the fees is considered the advertiser.
• Agencies advertising for clients: An agency that places advertisements and pays the platform on a client’s behalf is treated as both the advertiser and the payer.
• Third parties boosting posts: If a business owner publishes a post and hires someone else to boost it and pay the advertising fee, both are considered advertisers. The person handling and paying for the boost is also the payer.

Identity documents and digital checks required

Individual advertisers must provide verifiable government-issued identification, such as a national identity card or passport.

Companies and agencies must establish the identity of the person acting on their behalf, provide evidence of that person’s authority—such as a power of attorney—and submit proof of the company’s legal status, such as a company registration certificate.

Advertisers must also supply a valid address and contact telephone number. Platforms must collect information about a separate payer where applicable.

Platforms can conduct verification themselves by checking government-issued documents and establishing that they belong to the person presenting them. Methods include comparing a selfie with the photograph on an identity document or using a DipChip system to read identity-card information at a service point.

Alternatively, platforms can use an identity provider offering digital verification at Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) or higher. Examples include the Department of Provincial Administration’s ThaID application and licensed digital identity providers.

Records must remain available after ads end

Platforms must retain advertiser and payer information for at least 90 days after the advertising service ends.

The period begins on the day after the advertisement was last displayed—not when the advertiser closes or cancels their account.

Advertisers who have completed the required verification can continue running campaigns without repeating the entire process for every advertisement. However, they must undergo verification again at least once a year, no later than one year after their most recent identity check.

Brands and agencies need clear responsibilities

Agencies should have their company registration certificates, authorisation documents and identification for the people responsible for placing advertisements ready for verification.

Businesses managing their own campaigns should prepare identification documents and check the verification options available through their chosen platform, including whether supported digital identity services such as ThaID can be used.

Contracts between brands and agencies or third-party post promoters should clearly establish who places advertisements, who pays for them and who must complete identity verification.

These distinctions are particularly important when the business promoting a product is not the same person or company operating the advertising account.

Verified identity does not guarantee a genuine offer

The consumer-protection benefit centres on identifying those involved in an advertisement, rather than certifying the claims it contains.

Government guidance stresses that successful identity verification does not mean an advertisement or product has received official approval.

Consumers should therefore continue checking sellers and offers carefully, particularly advertisements requesting money transfers or promising unusually high returns.