Prince Harry says society has ‘broken down’ in apparent Elon Musk dig after UK riots
The comments come days after false online rumours led to riots across Britain. Prince Harry was speaking at the Responsible Digital Future forum in Bogota, Colombia
Prince Harry has hit out at the dangers of social media disinformation – days after false online rumours led to rioting across Britain. The royal, 39, spoke at the Responsible Digital Future forum in Bogota, Colombia, where he and wife Meghan, 43, are taking part in a four-day royal-style tour.
He said: “What happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets. People are acting on information that isn’t true. It comes down to all of us to be able to spot the true from the fake.
“In an ideal world those with positions of influence would take more responsibility. We are no longer debating facts.
“For as long as people are allowed to spread lies, abuse, harass, then social cohesion as we know it has completely broken down.”
Harry’s comments may be considered a swipe at billionaire social media owner Elon Musk, who has been accused of raking in profits while allowing X users to use lies to incite violence on Britain’s streets. Falsehoods spread on social media, including X, after the murders of three little girls in Southport last month, triggered a wave of violence, including a riot outside a Mosque there.
They came after multiple posts falsely claiming the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Musk, who has almost 193 million followers on X, which he owns, has also made a series of provocative comments about immigration, crime, policing and politics in the UK since the Southport stabbings, including that “civil war is inevitable”.
The 53-year-old tycoon also described the Prime Minister as “two-tier Keir” and has suggested he has been treating Muslims more favourably than white people in the riots. And risking stoking further tensions, Elon also asked the PM “is this still happening” in response to a post about the Rotherham grooming scandal.
The Responsible Digital Future forum was held at Bogota’s EAN University, where experts discussed possible strategies to ensure social networks are not a platform for hate and racism, but instead for training, education and values. Panellists also addressed the impact of technology in society, including on issues such as cyberbullying, racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
