Full interview: Samantha Markle speaks to Staci DaSilva

[Samantha Markle] It's not just me.

It's happening, all around the world,
to people.

And, these people know
that they can get away with it,

if they -- or, they think they can,

if they go hide under a VPN.

'Hey, they won't know my ISP,
if I do this through a VPN.'

So, it makes it harder
for law enforcement to get them.

So, one of the things that
twitter, and facebook,

and Instagram, and others
can do,

to help law enforcement,

and help keep their
participants safe:

biometrics.

If you get on your computer,
to sign in,

you're using face recognition.

Or, your fingerprint.

Or, your -- or your I. D.

Is that a violation
of freedom and privacy?

Hell, no.

Because they're not out --
they're out there violating others'

freedom and privacy,
to the extent of criminal acts.

Criminals are not guaranteed anonymity,
under any law.

If they're going to be out there
breaking laws,

and -- and -- committing crime,

you're --- you're not entitled
to privacy and protection under the law,

of your face, and your I. D., and your --
no, I --

I think you have an onus,

as a mature, responsible user
of these social interfaces,

to be transparent.

You know, yeah -- I'm not out there
committing criminal acts, and

I'm going to prove it, by
letting everybody know who I am.

You know, by being transparent.

That's just how I feel.

[Reporter] So when did you start
getting harassed?

[S. Markle] So, I started getting harassed

around the time of the
royal wedding.

And, and -- the moment that
people knew

that I disagreed with some things
about my sister,

such as, you know,

not inviting both sides
of the family,

and, um...

the possibility of my book
coming out.

That was another
controversial subject.

I started getting threats,

and people would send
and tweet

photographs of me
being viewed

through a high-powered scope,

behind broken glass,

with my face in targets.

You know, if that's not
obvious symbolism,

I don't know what is.

But, it was all
with the intent to

intimidate,
keep me in fear,

uh, prevent me from
releasing my book.

And you can't do that
to people.

We have freedom of speech.

And, just because

someone might not like
what I have to say,

or that I have
a book coming out,

doesn't mean that they can

engage in criminal activity,

coersion, threats, intimidation,

to prevent my exercising
my freedom of speech.

[Reporter] Was this on
facebook and twitter?

[S. Markle] Mmm-hmm.

And I don't have an
Instagram account.

I started one
several years ago,

and, like I just,

I think I said "Hello?"

I never used it,

but it's got
thousands of followers.

And, it gets daunting.

Like I can't, I can't
go, and get to

every platform, and say,

"Hey, shut this down,
it's not me,"

so, there are so many
fake accounts out there,

that are out there saying
disparaging things,

and parody accounts.

Those are also attempts at
this, you know,

uh, defamation, libel, slander,
bullying. Uh --

[Reporter] How often do you
hear from these trolls?

I mean, on your social media
accounts?

[S. Markle] Um, I shut it down,
so I don't see their mentions.

Because it got to the point

where they were always
mentioning me,

trying to, you know,

flag themselves,
and get attention,

and say horrible things,
and Photoshop and

create things to villainize
or criminalize me.

I just thought, you know,
"That's not real."

And, for people out there

who are bullied in cyberspace,

you know, I want -- I just --

especially young people.

I want to say,

"You really can't
give that legs."

"You can't give it breath."

"It's not real, unless

you allow it to consume you,
and you make it real."

Um, so...

you know, teenagers, who
go through this.

They don't have the resouces

to leave their high schools,

or move out of their
communities,

and they are very trapped.

And it's overwhelming for them.

And, some of these trolls

have such a large presence,

creating bots, and multiple avatars,

that these teenagers feel like

they're being attacked
by hundreds of people,

when, really, they're not.

They're being attacked by a few,

who make themselves out
to be bigger.

Well, that's what bullies do.

They puff their chest.

They want to feel big.

They want to feel like
they've got a lot of power.

And, for teenagers,

it's often inescapable, and

results in suicidal ideation,