Brazilian Government: Social Media and E-Commerce Platforms Must Remove Vape-Related Content Within 48 Hours

Key Points

• Deadline: Platforms must remove all vape-related content and offers within 48 hours.
• Compliance Report: Within 10 business days, platforms must submit records of removals, account suspensions, moderation metrics, and new control mechanisms.
• YouTube Inquiry: CNCP demanded explanations for vape promotion videos still online with 18+ restrictions.
• Anvisa’s Position: Under Resolution No. 855/2024, vaping products remain banned in Brazil, including manufacturing, imports, sales, and advertising.
• Background: Part of broader actions against digital piracy and illegal trade; in March 2025, Brazil reported 8,000 illegal sites to WIPO’s WIPO Alert and carried out Operation 404, which shut down hundreds of sites and apps.

Brazil has ordered social media and e-commerce platforms to remove all content and offers related to e-cigarettes within 48 hours, as part of a nationwide effort to combat illegal trade and advertising of vaping products online.

The order was issued by the National Council to Combat Piracy and Intellectual Property Crimes (CNCP), an agency linked to the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon).

According to CNCP head Wadih Damous, the government has been monitoring digital platforms and taking decisive steps to protect public health:

“We are acting continuously and firmly to curb the commercialization and promotion of products prohibited in Brazil. Our commitment is to ensure the law is enforced online and that illegal practices do not endanger the population.”

In addition to removing posts, notified companies must submit a report within 10 business days, including records of removals, account suspensions, moderation metrics, and new control mechanisms. Failure to comply may result in administrative penalties and referrals to the relevant authorities.

The CNCP also demanded explanations from YouTube, after reports that vape promotion and purchase-instruction videos remained available on the platform with an 18+ restriction. The agency stressed that age restriction does not legalize a prohibited product.

Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa reiterated that under Resolution No. 855/2024, the manufacture, import, sale, distribution, storage, transport, and advertising of vaping products remain prohibited in Brazil.

The measure is part of Brazil’s broader fight against digital piracy and illegal markets. In March 2025, the Ministry of Justice and CNCP reported over 8,000 illegal websites to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for inclusion in WIPO Alert, and through Operation 404, hundreds of illegal websites and apps have already been taken down.