The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, B.E. 2551 (“the ABCA”) poses challenges for manufacturers and content creators producing alcohol advertisement projects in Thailand. The ABCA aims to reduce alcohol-related problems by controlling the sale and advertisement of alcoholic beverages, and punishing non-compliance by means of heavy fines and penalties including imprisonment. Stakeholders involved in producing alcohol […]
Deceptive Design Pattern (aka “dark patterns”)
A deceptive design pattern or dark pattern is a method employed by companies to make consumers do unintended things or to make it harder to do what they intended to do. Examples include free trial subscriptions which eventually turned out to be pricey and charged automatically to credit cards; additional charges or items appearing when […]
What to Expect When the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 Is Fully Enforced in June 2022
Incidents of unauthorized disclosure of personal information to third parties has raised concern over personal data security across the globe. In 2015, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) was published, being the first personal data protection law passed to protect all European Union citizens. To comply with international standards, Thailand has adopted the provisions of […]
Untrue Promotions of “Daily Deals” Now Ceased at Expedia Singapore’s Website
The misleading promotional activities on Expedia Singapore’s website has now halted, thanks to the competition watchdog, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (“CCCS”). BEX Travel Asia (“BEX”), the website operator of Expedia Singapore, has put an end to its misleading promotions after the investigation by CCCS about its unfair practices. The “Daily Hotel Deals” […]
Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore Comments on the Rise in Feedback by Stakeholders and the Increasing Number of High-Profile Ad Complaints
The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (‘ASAS’), which was set up in 1976 to inter alia promote ethical advertising in Singapore, has played a crucial role over the years. Its importance and significance, as the self-regulatory body of the advertising industry, have increased manifold in the past few years. The ASAS has also been pro-actively […]
Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore Issues Advisory on Advertisements of Health Products During COVID-19 Pandemic
Whilst the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic continues to upset every sphere of human activity in an unprecedented manner, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (‘ASAS’) has noted that some local consumer-facing enterprises have attempted to aggressively advertise products and services that are intended for personal health and protection. While ASAS is heartened to note […]
“Nutri-Grade” set to commence its battle with sugary drinks from end-2021 as part of Singapore’s war on diabetes
After the announcement by Singapore’s Minister of State for Health, Edwin Tong, on the 10th October 2019 on the introduction of a mandatory Front-of-Pack label for packaged sugar-sweetened beverages , it has been announced that drinks with high sugar and/or saturated fat contents will be required to display a “Nutri-Grade” label with grades ranging from […]
THAILAND: Plain Cigarette Packaging Law Takes Effect
As per the Ministerial Regulations (MR) of the Ministry of Health on Plain Packaging of Cigarettes B.E. 2561 (2018) issued by virtue of Section 5, Paragraph 1, and Section 38, Paragraph 1, of the Tobacco Products Control Act B.E. 2560 (2017), the plain cigarette packaging law in Thailand is now in effect as of September […]
Singapore Set to Implement World’s First Advertising Ban for High Sugar Drinks
The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announced recently that it will introduce a mandatory Front-of-Pack (“FOP”) label for packaged sugar-sweetened beverages (“SSBs”) with colour code and grade to inform consumers of the sugar content, i.e., whether it is healthy, neutral or unhealthy, so that consumers may make an informed decision when purchasing SSBs. An advertising […]
Singapore – Breach The Obligations Imposed By The PDPA, And Face Penalties
In two recent decisions issued by the Personal Data Protection Commission (‘PDPC’), investigations were carried out under Section 50(1) of the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (‘PDPA’) and financial penalties were imposed on the errant entities. The circumstances which lead to this step by the PDPC are set out below: 1. O2 Advertising Pte. Ltd., […]