Hong Kong details rules on online advertisements
Law enforcement will continue tackling scam-related online advertisements under existing legislation.
Hong Kong’s government has said existing laws cover deceptive online advertisements, including scam-related content, misleading trade practices, and false claims in regulated sectors.
The written reply was issued in the Legislative Council on 3 June in response to a question about pop-up advertisements, programmatic advertising, and AI deepfake scams.
The government said the Trade Descriptions Ordinance prohibits false or misleading descriptions of goods or services, including in advertisements and on online platforms. Traders engaging in bait advertising or other prohibited conduct can face up to five years in prison and a fine of HK$500,000.
The reply also said online advertisements involving deception may fall under the Theft Ordinance. Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison, while obtaining property by deception carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.
Advertisements for specific sectors, including real estate, education, securities, and banking, are also subject to separate laws prohibiting false or misleading claims.
Hong Kong police have been working with online platform operators and conducting regular online patrols. In 2025, police asked social media platforms to remove or review more than 116,000 scam-related pages or accounts.
The government also pointed to Scameter and Scameter+, its scam and pitfall search tools. New features introduced in October 2025 use AI to analyse suspicious website links and web page screenshots reported by the public, and to detect potential scam domain names. Within five months, the tools proactively identified more than 900 fraudulent webpages, while Scameter+ issued more than 320,000 alerts in the first quarter of 2026.
Why does it matter?
The reply shows how Hong Kong is using existing consumer protection, fraud, and sector-specific laws to address online advertising risks, rather than introducing a dedicated online advertising regime for now. The inclusion of AI deepfake scams and AI-assisted Scameter+ detection also highlights how online advertising, platform governance, fraud prevention, and automated enforcement tools are increasingly interconnected.
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