HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 11: (Exclusive Coverage) (L-R) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for W+P)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are going up against Mark Zuckerberg, delivering a poignant criticism of his decision to scrap Meta’s fact-checking policies on Facebook and Instagram.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, long-time advocates for digital accountability and social media regulation, have denounced the policy shift as a dangerous step in the wrong direction.
Released via their Archewell Foundation, the Sussexes’ statement didn’t mince any words. “
Whether your views are left, right, or somewhere in between, Meta’s decision undermines free speech,” they wrote. “Allowing abuse and normalising hate speech silences expression rather than fostering it. This choice, driven by ego or profit, is both reckless and deeply troubling.”
Their sentiments come in response to Zuckerberg’s announcement, which introduced a new “Community Notes” model, akin to Elon Musk’s approach on X (formerly Twitter). While pitched as a tool to democratise content moderation by requiring agreement among users with diverse perspectives, critics have flagged the move as a thinly veiled ploy to relinquish oversight responsibility.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 10: (L-R) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex speak onstage at The Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age during Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day Festival 2023 at Hudson Yards on October 10, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)
The pair’s advocacy has consistently highlighted the real-world consequences of unchecked digital spaces.
In 2023, they hosted a World Health Day panel that platformed the voices of The Parents Network, a group of parents who have lost children to social media-linked mental health crises.
“By design, it promises connection and community,” Markle, who has received her fair share of online hate, lamented. “But somewhere along the way, that promise devolved.”
Many have also noted Zuckerberg’s timing, which some speculate is strategically aligned with the impending Trump presidency, which has already spurred mass division. Though Meta claims the shift champions “free expression,” users question its ethics, noting that a lack of regulation will inevitably create space for harmful rhetoric.
In their closing remarks, Prince Harry and Markle called for collective accountability.
“We urge Meta to reconsider and for leaders across industries to uphold integrity and public safety in online spaces. To advertisers and shareholders enabling Meta’s profits: we hope you’ll do the same.”