Meta confirms readiness for Thai ad ID rules from November 1
Meta and LINE confirm readiness for Thailand’s November 1 ad ID rules; TikTok and Google gave no assurances at an October 22 review.
- Meta has confirmed to Thailand's Digital Economy and Society Ministry that it is ready to comply with the country's new advertiser identity verification rules starting November 1.
- The new e-KYC (electronic know-your-customer) regulations are designed to prevent online scams by requiring verification for both Thai and foreign advertisers targeting people in Thailand.
- Meta will collaborate with Thai government agencies to help advertisers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, complete the verification process to avoid business disruption.
- The confirmation was announced by the ministry after Meta, along with Google and TikTok, was absent from a parliamentary committee meeting intended to review the platforms' readiness for the new rules.
Meta has confirmed it is ready to comply with Thailand’s new advertiser identity-verification rules from November 1, 2026, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry said, as a parliamentary committee questioned preparations across major platforms.
The new rules, described as electronic know-your-customer (e-KYC) requirements, cover paid social media adverts shown in Thailand and are intended to prevent scammers from using advertising to reach potential victims. Thai and foreign advertisers targeting people in the country are covered.
Meta to help small businesses meet the deadline
Meta will work with the Digital Economy and Society Ministry and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) to explain the requirements and help advertisers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, complete verification on time and keep their businesses running.
The ministry outlined the cooperation on October 23, saying Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob had sought stronger Ads Payer Verification from Meta under the message “No ID, No Ads. Verify identities. Stop online scams.”
Meta has already publicised the requirement for advertisers wishing to reach audiences in Thailand to complete identity verification by the deadline, the ministry said. The cooperation aims to improve online safety while limiting disruption to legitimate businesses that depend on digital platforms.
Four platforms miss parliamentary readiness review
TikTok, LINE, Meta and Google did not attend the October 22 readiness meeting, according to Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, an MP and deputy chair of the House committee on communications, telecommunications, and digital economy and society.
Pawoot wrote on Facebook that the committee had invited cyber police, ETDA and the major platforms to assess preparations before the rules took effect. LINE alone sent a letter explaining its absence and confirming that it would comply by November 1.
The committee received no confirmation of readiness from the other platforms at that meeting, Pawoot said. Meta’s assurance was subsequently reported by the ministry on October 23; TikTok and Google had provided no assurance at the committee’s review.
Pawoot said the platforms’ absence raised concerns about whether the requirements would be met in practice, including for foreign advertisers placing adverts aimed at people in Thailand.
The House committee called on the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, ETDA and cyber police to prepare compliance checks and take legal action against platforms that failed to meet their obligations. The committee also pressed for the draft Digital Economy Act to be brought before Parliament to close gaps in platform regulation.
Identity checks and 90-day record retention
Social media providers receiving payment for adverts shown in Thailand must verify advertisers before publication, unless the latest verification was completed no more than a year earlier. Providers must also retain identifying information for at least 90 days after the advertiser stops using their advertising service.
The requirements appear in the Electronic Transactions Commission’s notification on measures to prevent technology crime for social media service providers (No. 2). Commission chair Vilawan Mangklatanakul signed the notification on April 23, 2026, and it was published in the Royal Gazette on May 5, with a 180-day period before commencement.
Platforms may check government-issued identity documents and establish that they belong to the advertiser, for example by comparing facial images. Alternatively, platforms may use a digital identity verification system meeting the assurance level specified by the Electronic Transactions Commission.
The records platforms must retain include the names of individual advertisers, or legal entities and those acting on their behalf; identity or corporate documentation; and usable contact details.
Where someone other than the advertiser pays for an advert, the platform must also retain the payer’s information so those involved can be traced if an offence occurs.
Source: Bangkokbiznews
