Prince Harry and Meghan Markle criticize Mehta’s decision to end fact-checking
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have slammed Meta’s decision to remove fact-checking from social media apps Facebook and Instagram.
On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took to the website of their charity the Archewell Foundation to call out the company’s latest policy changes, led by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Meta’s other platforms include Threads and WhatsApp.
“Whether your views are left, right or somewhere in between, Meta’s latest news about policy changes directly undermines free speech,” the couple wrote in a statement titled “Fact-Checking Meta.” “This should be deeply concerning to all of us.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex called out Mehta’s latest policy change on the website of their charity the Archewell Foundation. (Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images)
“Contrary to the company’s view, allowing more abuse and normalizing hate speech only suppresses speech and expression, rather than enabling it,” they shared. “In an already confusing and, in many cases, In an intentionally destructive information environment, Meta has shown that their words and promises have little meaning or integrity.”
“When they announced these changes, they were undoubtedly responding to the political winds that were blowing, and they were once again abandoning public safety in favor of profit, chaos, and control,” the statement said. “The company’s decision to remove protections is inconsistent with its stated values and its commitment to its users.” “
The lengthy article highlights that Meta’s platforms are used by millions of people in the United States alone, and by “hundreds of millions” around the world.
“The company’s decision to remove protections is so far removed from its stated values and commitment to its users – including parents and families calling for global change – that it is now deeply deceptive.”
In 2024, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched the Parent Network through Archewell to provide resources for parents and carers who have been affected by the harmful effects of social media. (Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images)
“Many people use the platform to spread joy, build community, and share messages of empowerment,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, Meta’s recent decisions directly contradict its stated mission of ‘building connections between people. Instead, it prioritizes those who use these platforms to spread hate, lies, and division at the expense of everyone else.
“Given the profound impact Meta’s decision had on the world – many of whom are still recovering or suffering – a country’s politics should never have to decide so clearly whether free speech and civil and human rights have a place in cyberspace Being protected shapes or destroys democracy,” it shared.
The couple said online spaces must be designed “with public safety and well-being at the core and resistant to political pressure and corporate leadership failures.”
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In 2024, Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, launched the Parent Network through Archewell to provide resources for parents and carers who have been affected by the harmful effects of social media. Creating a safer online space has been one of the couple’s main goals since stepping down as senior royals in 2020 and moving to California.
“This latest move by Meta is an example of a social media company – fully aware of its power to shape public discourse – ignoring any responsibility to ensure that power is not abused, and instead allowing ego or profit (and possibly both) to ) to guide decisions affecting billions of people,” the statement read.
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“We are particularly alarmed by plans to abandon commitments to diversity and equity and internal policy changes that undermine protections for marginalized communities. These decisions echo the views of experts, whistleblowers and families raised at hearings on online harm,” Especially with regards to child safety: platform design dictated by internal policies directly determines our online experience.
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“To ignore this is to intentionally put everyone in harm’s way and contribute to a global mental health crisis,” the statement continued. “Meta’s changes to its ‘hateful content policy’ do not protect free speech but create an environment that allows Insults and hate speech silence and threaten the voices of entire communities that make up a healthy democracy.
“We urge Meta to reconsider and reinstate policies that protect all users. We also call on leaders across industries to uphold their commitment to integrity and public safety in cyberspace, and we applaud leaders who refuse to give in to bullying.”
The statement also reached out to several organizations that “advocate for online accountability and fairness.”
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Creating a safer online space has been one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s main goals since stepping down as senior royals in 2020 and moving to California. (Getty Images)
“We have been working in this space for the past five years and have witnessed the real-world damage caused by these decisions, and we see no reason why the industry should act as if they are not bound by the same moral and ethical standards that others are held to,” the statement said.
“The Archewell Foundation remains committed to promoting accountability, safeguarding information integrity, and protecting all communities in the digital age. We hope and expect those who generate profits for Meta, including advertisers and shareholders, to do the same.”
Meta is replacing its fact-checking with an X-like “community annotation” system that relies on users to correct misinformation on its platform.
Meghan Markle returned to social media on January 1st. (Getty Images)
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Zuckerberg, 40, posted a video saying it was time to prioritize “free speech” and that fact-checkers had become “politically biased.” Zuckerberg also noted that he was moving Meta’s content moderation team from the blue state of California to the red state of Texas and lifting restrictions on some discussions of immigration and gender.
Meta did not immediately comment on how many people might be relocated.
On January 1, Meghan rejoined social media after a five-year hiatus. She has an Instagram account named @meghan and comments are turned off. The former American actress has a new Netflix series, Meghan Markle, set to premiere on January 15. The event was rescheduled to March due to the Los Angeles fires.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
