Bangkok, Thailand – The Thai government has entered the second round of discussions on a draft regulation that would tighten identity verification for advertisers and increase scrutiny of certain advertisements.
The draft regulation proposes requirements for social media platforms to verify government-issued documents from advertisers and retain information such as company or representative names and certificates of incorporation. These measures would apply to advertisers with a history of user complaints or violations of platform rules.
Advertisements related to finance, investments, and loans would face additional oversight. Content that targets vulnerable groups, such as the elderly or other at-risk demographics, would also be monitored more closely.
Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society held discussions last November with private-sector companies, including Google, LINE, and TikTok, on bolstering digital verification measures. These measures aim to restrict the creation of fake accounts and could include real-name checks, facial biometrics, and phone or email verification.
The Electronic Transactions Development Agency recently conducted a focus group to collect feedback and is inviting stakeholders to submit comments until 2 February.
