Toxic social media: Meghan and Harry want hate-free digital spaces

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Meghan and Harry 2019 in Cape Town

Photo: Dominic Lipinski / dpa

The Duchess of Sussex is fighting toxic excesses on social media.

With her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan has been under public and media scrutiny worldwide for years.

The actress received a lot of praise and enthusiasm - but also a lot of venom.

Regardless of what she said in the past - it was mainly the interpretation of the people that provoked harsh reactions, Meghan said in an interview with Ellen McGirt from the US magazine "Fortune".

"If you really listen to what I'm saying, it's not controversial."

Meghan and Harry had in the past urged US voters to absolutely cast their vote in the presidential election in November.

Whether flattery or criticism - the Duchess is free

"The moment you break free from all these other opinions, when you know what is true for you, then it becomes possible to live with truth and authenticity," said the Duchess of Sussex.

She decided to "walk the world" in exactly this way.

Quoting the painter Georgia O'Keeffe, the Duchess said that flattery and criticism were equally harmful, that she had freed herself from both.

Together with her husband, the actress is now dedicated to the goal of building hate-free communities in the digital space, according to the Fortune report.

The 39-year-old wants to shed light on the negative effects on individuals as well as the systemic consequences of disinformation via platforms like Facebook.   

Prince Harry first condemned racist attacks on his wife on social media in 2016.

In the summer, the couple joined the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign, which urges advertisers not to spend their money on social media that tolerate hate speech and toxic behavior.

Loss in the trial of "Mail on Sunday"

The couple broke away from their royal duties in the royal family at the end of March and announced that they wanted to live financially independently.

The Duchess and Duke of Sussex first lived in Canada and then moved to Los Angeles with their son Archie.

Meghan just suffered a defeat in court.

She had taken action against five articles in the "Mail on Sunday" and its website from 2019, which included excerpts from a personal letter to her father Thomas Markle.

On Tuesday the London High Court ruled, according to the BBC, that the defendant publisher Associated Newspapers may use excerpts from the book "Finding Freedom" about Meghan and Harry for its defense in the proceedings.

The book traces how the two separated from the royal family.

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