Thailand Sets November 1 Deadline for Social Media Advertiser ID Checks

Paid advertisements face an identity check before publication

Thailand will require social media platforms to verify the identities of advertisers before publishing paid advertisements aimed at people in the country from November 1, 2026. The requirement covers both Thai businesses and advertisers based abroad, placing responsibility on platforms to establish who is buying access to their audiences.

The rules appear in the Electronic Transactions Commission's notification on measures to prevent technological crimes for social media service providers, No. 2. Commission chair Vilawan Mangklatanakul signed the notification on April 23, 2026. It was published in the Royal Gazette on May 5, with a 180 day period before commencement.

Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are among the services covered, alongside other platforms meeting the notification's criteria. Under the policy known as No ID, No Ads, platforms must also keep identifying records for at least 90 days after an advertiser stops using their advertising service and collect information about a separate payer.

Meta has confirmed its readiness to comply, according to Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. Its assurance followed a parliamentary review at which major platforms did not attend and only LINE submitted a letter confirming that it would meet the deadline.

The change targets a practical problem in online fraud: an advertisement can reach potential victims quickly, while investigators may struggle to identify the people behind it. Requiring identity records before publication is intended to give authorities a clearer route from a fraudulent advertisement to the advertiser and the person funding it.

What advertisers will need to verify

Platforms must complete verification before publishing paid advertisements in Thailand, unless an advertiser qualifies for an exemption because their identity was verified under the rules within the preceding year. Businesses should check whether their existing verification meets that requirement.

The process is described as electronic know your customer, or e-KYC. In plain language, it means checking someone's identity remotely using documents or an accepted digital identity system.

Platforms can choose their methods within the prescribed standards. One route is to examine government issued identity documents and confirm that they belong to the person presenting them, for example by comparing facial images. Another is to use a digital identity verification system meeting the assurance level specified by the Electronic Transactions Commission.

For companies, the records include information about the legal entity and the people acting on its behalf. Corporate registration documents and letters of authorisation may therefore be needed alongside personal identification. The practical task is to connect the advertising account to an identifiable business and an authorised representative.

Foreign advertisers and agencies are covered too

Advertisers outside Thailand must follow the requirements when their paid advertisements target audiences inside the country. The rule follows the audience being reached, so a business cannot avoid verification simply by managing its campaign from another country.

Foreign advertisers will not need to travel to Thailand to complete the process. Platforms may accept identification issued by foreign governments and use verification systems that satisfy Thai legal requirements. This allows overseas sellers to complete the checks remotely through the platform's process.

Advertising agencies face another practical issue: the business responsible for an advertisement and the party paying to promote it may be different. The notification requires platforms to collect information about the payer when that person or organisation differs from the advertiser.

A retailer that hires an agency should therefore check how the platform identifies each party in its account arrangement. Depending on that arrangement, both the business responsible for the advertisement and the party funding its placement may need verification. Preparing only the retailer's documents could leave part of the required information missing.

Platforms must keep a usable identity trail

The record retention requirement runs for at least 90 days after the advertiser stops using the advertising service. Platforms must keep information that can identify the advertiser, rather than relying solely on a public profile name or the wording of an advertisement.

The required records include the names of individual advertisers, or the names of legal entities and those acting for them; identity or corporate documents; usable contact details; and payer information where a different party pays for the advertisement.

Keeping the payer's details gives investigators another part of the transaction to examine. An agency may operate an account for a client, for example, while payment comes through a different organisation. Recording those roles helps authorities trace who commissioned, managed and funded advertising when investigating an offence.

The 90 days are a minimum retention period. For businesses, the immediate priority is to provide accurate information and keep contact and authorisation details ready for the platform's checks. For platforms, the obligation continues after the advertising relationship ends.

Meta's assurance follows parliamentary scrutiny

Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob sought stronger Ads Payer Verification from Meta on October 23. The ministry presented his request with the message:

No ID, No Ads. Verify identities. Stop online scams.

Meta will work with the ministry and the Electronic Transactions Development Agency, known as ETDA, to explain the requirements and help advertisers complete verification. Small and medium sized enterprises are a particular focus because many depend on social media advertising to reach customers and keep sales moving.

The ministry said Meta had already publicised the verification requirement for advertisers seeking to reach audiences in Thailand. Its cooperation with the authorities is intended to prevent fraudulent advertising while helping legitimate businesses continue operating through the change.

Parliamentary scrutiny began before that assurance. Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, an MP and deputy chair of the House committee on communications, telecommunications, and digital economy and society, said TikTok, LINE, Meta and Google did not attend an October 22 meeting reviewing readiness.

LINE alone sent a letter explaining its absence and confirming compliance by November 1. Meta's readiness was subsequently reported by the ministry on October 23. TikTok and Google had provided no assurance at the committee's review; their implementation status beyond that meeting was not specified.

The dates leading to implementation

The notification passed through signing, publication and a preparation period before the November deadline. The final parliamentary review and the ministry's announcement came shortly before implementation.

• April 23, 2026: Electronic Transactions Commission chair Vilawan Mangklatanakul signed Notification No. 2.
• May 5, 2026: The notification was published in the Royal Gazette, with a 180 day period before commencement.
• October 22, 2026: A House committee reviewed readiness. LINE submitted a compliance assurance by letter; the four invited major platforms did not attend.
• October 23, 2026: The Digital Economy and Society Ministry outlined cooperation with Meta and reported the company's readiness.
• November 1, 2026: The advertiser identity verification requirements take effect.

November 1 is therefore the operational deadline for covered platforms and advertisers. Businesses relying on campaigns around that date need to establish whether their accounts already qualify or require further identity checks.

Liability depends on the circumstances

Platforms that fail to meet their obligations could face shared liability for losses arising from technological crimes, depending on the circumstances and the applicable laws. Responsibility for a particular loss will turn on the relevant legal conditions and the facts of the case.

Pawoot called for the Digital Economy and Society Ministry, ETDA and cyber police to prepare compliance checks and take legal action against platforms that fail to meet their duties. His concern included whether verification would work in practice for foreign advertisers targeting people in Thailand.

The policy also leaves consumers with an important task. Identity verification establishes who the advertiser is; shoppers still need to assess the advertisement, seller and product. The government has cautioned against treating a completed identity check as state endorsement.

For someone considering a purchase, that means checking the seller's claims and payment arrangements remains necessary even when the advertiser has passed a platform's identity process. The new requirement is designed to improve identification and investigation, while buyers must still judge the transaction itself.

Complaint figures show the work facing regulators

ETDA Director Chaiyachana Mitrphan said the agency was monitoring implementation of the social media crime prevention measures taking effect on November 1. By August 2026, ETDA had brought 2,133 digital platform services into its notification and information system, giving authorities information about operators and their businesses.

The agency's 1212 complaint centre received 23,525 complaints between January and August 2026, down 14% from the same period a year earlier. Illegal websites accounted for 8,309 complaints and online shopping for 7,548.

Those two categories together represented 15,857 complaints, or about 67% of the total. Other leading categories included miscellaneous problems, with 2,286 complaints; unfair business practices, with 2,073; and personal data protection, with 1,677.

ETDA identified recurring problems involving agricultural goods advertised with attractive pictures but delivered in poor condition, illegal lending applications that transferred money without a request and then demanded payment, and gambling websites that accepted deposits but prevented withdrawals.

For complaints specifically involving digital platform services, ETDA recorded 10,514 cases from 2023 through August 2026 and said it had handled 10,488. That left 26 outside the handled total. The agency said it was using complaint information to identify problems and direct cases to the authorities with the relevant powers.

Businesses must prepare while wider reforms continue

Businesses, online retailers and agencies have been urged to check their advertising account status and prepare identification documents, corporate registration records and letters of authorisation. Companies using an agency should also confirm who the platform records as the advertiser and who it records as the payer.

Small businesses may need particular help where an owner, employee or outside agency manages advertising on behalf of the company. The ministry and ETDA's cooperation with Meta is intended to help advertisers complete verification while limiting disruption to ordinary business activity.

The November notification sits within a wider debate about Thailand's powers over digital platforms. The House committee urged Parliament to consider a draft Digital Economy Act to address gaps in regulation. Chaiyachana also described work on a proposed Digital Platform Economy Act and acknowledged that existing enforcement powers and penalties were limited.

The proposed reform remains under development. ETDA has been reconsidering possible penalties after platforms objected to an earlier approach based on a percentage of worldwide revenue, and the ministry asked it to study approaches used in Asian countries, including Vietnam and China.

The immediate task is more specific than that wider legislative debate: covered platforms must verify advertisers before publishing paid advertisements aimed at Thailand, identify separate payers and retain the required records. Advertisers need to complete the corresponding checks by November 1 or confirm that their recent verification qualifies.

Key Points

• Thailand's advertiser identity verification rules take effect on November 1, 2026, covering Thai and foreign advertisers targeting audiences in the country.
• Covered platforms must verify advertisers before publishing paid advertisements. Verification completed under the rules within the preceding year may qualify for an exemption.
• Foreign advertisers can complete checks remotely using accepted identification and verification systems.
• Platforms must collect separate payer information and retain identifying records for at least 90 days after the advertising service ends.
• Meta has confirmed readiness, according to the ministry. LINE submitted a compliance assurance to the parliamentary committee.
• Businesses and agencies should prepare identity, company and authorisation documents and check who is listed as advertiser and payer.
• Platforms may face shared liability when applicable legal conditions are met. Consumers must still assess sellers, products and payment requests.