Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are denouncing Meta’s decision to end fact-checking across Facebook and Instagram.
On Jan. 13, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared the opinion in a new statement on the website of their charitable Archewell Foundation. Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have made building a safer online world a key focus of their philanthropic work, and launched The Parents Network as a principal program from Archewell last year as a resource for families who have suffered devastation from the harmful effects of social media.
“It doesn’t matter whether your views are left, right or somewhere in between—the latest news from Meta about changes to their policies directly undermines free speech. This should deeply concern us all,” began a statement titled “Fact-checking Media” on the Archewell website. “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,” it continued in an apparent reference to the upcoming inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20.
“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,” the statement said.
The extensive entry emphasized the staggering number of global users active on Meta’s platforms, which also include Threads and WhatsApp, and said Meta’s “recent decision” contradicts its mission to build connection and “instead prioritize those using the platforms to spread hate, lies and division at the expense of everyone else.”
“Given the profound global impact Meta’s decisions have on the world—of which many are still recovering from or actively suffering from—the politics of one country should never determine whether freedom of expression and civil and human rights are protected in the online spaces so clearly shaping or destroying democracy,” the statement from Prince Harry and Meghan’s office argued.
The entry also decried Meta’s purported plans to reduce its DEI programs, which Axios first reported and the BBC confirmed on Jan. 10. That update followed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s Jan. 7 announcement that Meta would be moving away from its third-party fact-checking programs.
“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,” the statement from Archewell said. “To ignore this is knowingly putting everyone in harm’s way and contributing to a global mental health crisis.”
The entry later urged Meta “to reconsider and reinstate policies to protect all users,” and urged leaders across sectors to honor their commitments to safer online spaces. Prince Harry and Meghan’s office also underscored its support for groups including The Center for Critical Internet Inquiry, Parents Together, 5Rights Foundation, Accountable Tech, HalfTheStory, The Marcy Lab School, and the Responsible Tech Youth Power Fund in their strides for advocating for accountability online, plus a new partnership with Screen Sanity, a nonprofit that supports families of children in the digital age.
“Having worked in this space for the last five years and witnessing the real-world devastation these decisions have, we feel there is no justification for why this industry behaves as if they are exempt from the ethical and moral standards everyone else abides by,” the statement from the Archewell Foundation closed, nodding to Harry and Meghan’s longtime work in the sector.
“We at The Archewell Foundation remain committed to promoting accountability, safeguarding information integrity, and protecting all communities in the digital age. We hope and expect those enabling Meta’s profits, like advertisers and shareholders, to do the same.”
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Prince Harry recently spoke about the dangers of social media while appearing at the 2024 DealBook Summit organized by The New York Times in New York City in December. He said on stage there that “I try to think at these things through the lens as a dad… That’s one of the reasons we’re so focused on The Parents Network.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are parents to Prince Archie, 5 and Princess Lilibet, 3, making the mission of safeguarding the next generation online a personal one.
On Jan. 1, Meghan surprised fans by rejoining social media for the first time in years by launching an Instagram account under the handle @meghan. After several years away from social media, a source says the Duchess of Sussex is “excited” to make her Instagram comeback, where she plans to spread “joy” and share updates on her latest projects.
Her namesake account notably has comments turned off, and is not following anyone — moves that may be protecting her peace as she logs back online.
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