Prince Harry and Meghan have slammed social media giant Meta over their recent decision to remove third-party fact-checking and loosen content moderation.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg confirmed last week that the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Threads would replace its fact-checking measures with a "community notes" system similar to Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter).
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are among many critics who have expressed concern over the potential for an increase in misinformation online as a result of the changes.
In a statement, Harry and Meghan criticised Meta for responding to "political winds" and "abandon(ing) public safety in favour of profit, chaos, and control".
“This should deeply concern us all,” said the couple.
Both have been strong advocates for online safety since their departure from royal duties in 2020.
They have accused Meta of contributing to the “global mental health crisis”, stating that ‘online spaces must be designed with public safety and well-being at their core, resilient against political pressures and lapses in corporate leadership’.
“Contrary to the company’s talking points, allowing more abuse and normalising hate speech serves to silence speech and expression, not foster it,” said their statement.
Harry and Meghan are also accusing Meta of prioritising users of its platforms who “spread hate, lies and division at the expense of everyone else”, calling for the company to "reconsider and reinstate policies to protect all users".
The Sussexes’ statement comes after it was confirmed that the planned 15 January premiere of Meghan’s long-awaited new Netflix series was postponed until March in the wake of the devastating wildfires currently engulfing Los Angeles.
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