Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have issued a blistering statement blasting a “deeply concerning” move for social media.
A brand new post on the couple’s official website has railed against the decision by Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, for its decision to scrap its fact-checking programme and urged it to prioritise public safety as well as curb growing hate speech on its platforms.
Instead of using fact-checkers to assess content on it’s platforms in the US, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced that it would be using a community notes system, similar to that of X. But Harry and Meghan, who have long been advocates of making online spaces safe, especially of children, have said the move will “directly undermine free speech” and is “deeply concerning to us all”.
Prince Harry left ‘so ashamed’ after making mistake dubbed the ‘biggest of his life’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a forum discussing on online hate, discrimination, and cyberbullying in Colombia last year
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
It comes less than two weeks after Meghan relaunched her new Instagram account, where she has made several posts, including about her upcoming Netflix show With Love, Meghan and announced the death of her dog, Guy. In all three posts so far, the comments have been disabled.
The Sussexes statement reads: “Contrary to the company’s talking points, allowing more abuse and normalizing hate speech serves to silence speech and expression, not foster it.
“In an already confusing and, in many instances, intentionally disruptive information environment, Meta has shown their words and commitments have very little meaning or integrity. As they announce these changes undoubtedly responding to political winds, they once again abandon public safety in favor of profit, chaos, and control.
“The company’s decision to rollback protections is so far away from its stated values and commitments to its users—including the parents and families calling for change around the globe—that it’s now deeply deceptive.
Meghan returned to Instagram less than two weeks ago
“Millions of people are using Meta’s platforms in the United States. Hundreds of millions more are using them globally. Many use the platform to spread joy, build community, and share empowering information. Unfortunately, Meta’s recent decisions go directly against its stated mission to ‘build human connection’ and instead prioritize those using the platforms to spread hate, lies and division at the expense of everyone else.”
The statement adds that Meta’s move is “contributing to a global mental health crisis” and calls on “leaders across industries to uphold their commitments to integrity and public safety in online spaces, and we applaud leaders who refuse to kowtow to bullying.”
The statement continues: “Online spaces must be designed with public safety and well-being at their core, resilient against political pressures and lapses in corporate leadership. This latest move from Meta is an example of a social media company—fully aware of their power to shape public discourse—disregarding any responsibility to ensure that power is not abused and instead allowing either ego or profit, likely both, to guide decisions that affect billions.
“We are particularly alarmed by plans to abandon commitments to diversity and equity, coupled with internal policy changes that undermine protections for marginalized communities. These decisions echo what experts, whistleblowers, and families have raised in hearings on online harm, especially regarding children’s safety: platform design, dictated by internal policies, directly determines our online experience.
“Meta’s changes to its ‘Hateful Content Policies’ do not protect free expression but instead foster an environment where abuse and hate speech silence and threaten the voices of whole communities who make up a healthy democracy. We urge Meta to reconsider and reinstate policies to protect all users.”
Earlier this month, Meta boss Mr Zuckerberg said the decision was about “restoring free expression” on its platforms and “reducing mistakes” it said automated content moderation systems were making, with Meta saying it believed it was amounting to censorship in some cases, accusing some fact-checkers of being influenced by their own biases.
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