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.