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Tag: Facebook

  • Store Crackdowns Move Hong Kong Illicits Online

    Store Crackdowns Move Hong Kong Illicits Online

    Illicit cigarette sales in Hong Kong have increasingly shifted online following the implementation of tighter enforcement rules targeting duty evasion, according to media reports. After the Tobacco Control Legislation (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 took effect in September, requiring cigarettes priced below the tobacco duty to prove they are duty-paid, many newsstands and retailers stopped selling “cheap whites.” In response, illicit wholesalers moved the products online to social media and messaging platforms to solicit customers directly.

    Reports indicate that some wholesalers are advertising on Facebook and WhatsApp, using discounts, referral incentives, and giveaways to attract buyers. To avoid platform detection, sellers often use “IN” instead of the Chinese word for “cigarette,” relying on images of cigarette packs or smoking imagery to signal the products being offered. Orders are typically handled via private WhatsApp or Telegram groups, with sellers promoting same-day or next-day delivery across Hong Kong.

    Hong Kong Customs said it is monitoring these developments and adjusting enforcement strategies accordingly. Authorities said their approach combines risk assessment and intelligence analysis, including action against cross-border smuggling, storage and distribution centers, and street-level and online peddling.

  • PCA’s Tips for Posting Industry-Related Material on Social Media

    PCA’s Tips for Posting Industry-Related Material on Social Media

    The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) published an article focused on posting tobacco-related content on social media, saying Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) has intensified enforcement around content linked to regulated industries, increasingly limiting the reach and visibility of posts even when they do not clearly violate written policies. Much of this tightening, the article says, is driven by automated and AI-based moderation systems and evolving internal standards, resulting in reduced feed placement, recommendation blocks, or suppressed exposure without clear warnings. While this creates challenges, accounts are still able to post if they adapt their approach to align with Meta’s enforcement environment.

    The PCA advised shifting away from direct product promotion toward lifestyle, educational, and community-focused content, while avoiding explicit sales language, pricing, or calls to purchase. Using neutral captions, lifestyle imagery, and modest hashtags can help reduce enforcement risk, though inconsistencies remain common. Given the unpredictability of social platforms, businesses are also encouraged to diversify communication by strengthening owned channels such as websites, email newsletters, SMS lists, and in-store engagement, with storytelling and education proving most effective for sustaining audience connection.

  • Thai Association Wants Meta to Crack Down on $16B Illegal Sales Market

    Thai Association Wants Meta to Crack Down on $16B Illegal Sales Market

    Thailand’s Tobacco Trade Association (TTTA) called on the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to pressure Meta to crack down on the widespread sale of illegal cigarettes on Facebook, arguing that the platform has become the primary marketplace for contraband tobacco. TTTA executive director Thanyasarun Saengthong said sellers routinely evade detection by using abbreviations and product images, allowing them to bypass Facebook’s keyword filters. The association urged Meta to use its advanced AI tools to scan Groups, Marketplace listings, page names, and images for tobacco content, and warned that paid ads are being used to promote illegal products without age checks.

    The TTTA cited internal Meta documents reported by Reuters, suggesting that up to 10% of Meta’s 2024 revenue—approximately $16 billion—may have come from deceptive ads and illicit goods, evidence, they say, of a serious enforcement failure. Under Thailand’s Tobacco Product Control Act, all online sale, display, and marketing of tobacco products is strictly prohibited. The TTTA argues Facebook’s inaction undermines Thai law and the government’s ongoing efforts to combat the contraband trade.