Harry and Meghan shred ‘deceptive’ Meta over fact-checking changes on Instagram, Facebook and Threads

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, have launched an extraordinary attack on Meta over its plan to ditch third-party fact-checking on its social media sites, including Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

The royal couple, who have themselves been subject to waves of wildly inaccurate posts, say the changes undermine free speech and have called for the company to reconsider.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced last week that the tech giant would cut its US fact-checking program and reduce curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity. Instead, it will adopt an X-style system of community-added notes.

Without explicitly naming President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming administration, Harry and Meghan make clear they believe Meta’s changes are being driven by a response to “‘political winds” and “kowtowing to bullying”.

“Contrary to the company’s talking points, allowing more abuse and normalising hate speech serves to silence speech and expression, not foster it,” they wrote in a 638-word statement published on their website.

“As they announce these changes undoubtedly responding to political winds, they once again abandon public safety in favour of profit, chaos, and control.

“The company’s decision to roll back 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.”

Harry and Meghan, who have campaigned for safety online since stepping away from the royal family in 2020, say Meta’s recent decisions go against its stated mission of building human connections, instead prioritising “those using the platforms to spread hate, lies and division at the expense of everyone else”.

They say the politics of one country should never determine whether freedom of expression and civil and human rights are protected in online spaces.

“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.”

The pair say they are particularly alarmed by plans to abandon commitments to diversity and equity, coupled with internal policy changes that undermine protections for marginalised 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,” they wrote.

“To ignore this is knowingly putting everyone in harm’s way and contributing to a global mental health crisis.”

They go onto urge Meta to reconsider and reinstate policies to protect all users.

“We also call 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.”