THIS IS AN ISSUE
THAT
CONSERVATIVES AND
REPUBLICANS%
HAVE IT.%
LAST WEEK, AFTER%
THIS HEARING%
WAS NOTICED, I
DID THE SAME%
THING IN THE
CAPITOL AND%
WOULDN’T YOU%
KNOW, I GOOGLED%
IT
AND THAT WAS THE
FIRST WEBSITE%
THAT CAME UP.%
THIS ISN’T FROM A%
CONSTITUENT IN
MY DISTRICT.%
THIS ISN’T A NEWS%
REPORT.%
I PHYSICALLY DID
THIS ON MY%
LAPTLE IN THE%
CAPITAL SEVERAL
MONTHS AGO AND%
THEN TODAY.%
SO SOMETHING%
HAPPENED BETWEEN
NOT BEING%
NOTIFIED THAT YOU%
WOULD APPEAR%
BEFORE MY%
COMMITTEE%
AND THEN LAST%
WEEK KNOWING YOU
WOULD APPEAR
BEFORE THE%
COMMITTEE AND NOW%
CONSERVATIVE%
SITES ARE AT THE%
TOP OF THE BAR
WHEN YOU SEARCH
FOR THEM.%
SO WAS THERE%
ANYTHING DONE AT%
GOOGLE BETWEEN A%
COUPLE OF
MONTHS AGO AND%
THE WEEK BEFORE%
APPEARING TODAY
THAT HAS CHANGED
YOUR APPROACH TO%
SILENCING%
CONSERVATIVE%
WEBSITES?%
>> CONGRESSMAN,%
WE APPROACH OUR%
WORK WITH A DEEP
SENSE OF
RESPONSIBILITY IN%
A NONPARTISAN%
WAY.%
WE WANT TO PUT%
ALL OF OUR USERS,%
NO MATTER WHERE
THEY ARE AND IT%
IS OUR INCENTIVE
TOD SO.%
I BELIEVE ON OUR%
PLATFORM
INCLUDING%
YOUTUBE, THERE%
ARE
MORE CONSERVATIVE
VOICES THAN%
EVERY BEFORE.%
WE BELIEVE IN
FREEDOM OF%
EXPRESSION.%
ON THE SPECIFIC%
ISSUE, I WILL
HAVE TO LOOK INTO
IT.%
I OBVIOUSLY%
WASN’T AWARE OF%
IT.%
WE KNEW IT COULD
BE A NUMBER OF
REASONS.%
WE CONSTANTLY GET%
REPORTS.%
>> SO CAN I%
EXPECT A RESPONSE%
FROM YOU SAY IN%
THE NEXT TWO
WEEKS AS TO WHY%
THAT OCCURRED?%
>> CONGRESSMAN,%
WE WILL DO OUR
BEST TO FOLLOW UP
AND I’LL%
ENGAGE WITH YOUR
OFFICE.%
>> WE’LL FOLLOW%
UP ON THAT.%
I HAVE A SIMILAR%
QUESTION.%
I HAVE BEEN IN
ELECTED POLITICS%
FOR ALMOST TEN
YEARS.%
WHEN I WAS IN THE
FLORIDA SENATE%
AND THE STATE%
SENATE, I NEVER%
HAD A PROBLEM
WITH MY CAMPAIGN%
EMAILS BEING
MARKED AS SPAM OR%
GOING TOJUNK%
FOLDERS OR
ANYTHING%
ALONG THOSE
LINES.%
WE HAD
40,00050,000
PEOPLE ON%
THE EMAIL LIST.%
SUDDENLY, I GET%
ELECTED TO%
CONGRESS AND I’M
UP HERE IN
WASHINGTON D.C.%
AND MY PARENTS%
WHO HAVE A G MAIL
ACCOUNT ARE
NOT GETTING MY%
EMAILS.%
ONE OF MY%
SUPPORTERS TOLD%
ME%
THAT THEIR G MAIL
ACCOUNT IS%
TAKING EMAILS AND%
SUDDENLY GOING%
TO JUPG FOLDER.%
THIS APPEARS TO
ONLY BE
HAPPENING TO%
CONSERVATIVE%
REPUBLICANS.%
I DON’T SEE%
ANYTHING IN THE
NEWS%
OR PRESS OR%
MEMBERS ON THE%
OTHER
SIDE OF THE AISLE%
ABOUT THEIR
CAMPAIGN EMAILS%
GETTING THROWN
INTO JUNK FOLDERS%
ON G MAIL.%
SO WHY IS THIS%
ONLY HAPPENING TO
REPUBLICANS?%
AND THIS IS A
FACT BECAUSE I%
CAN%
HAVE MY%
SUPPORTERS
TESTIFY THAT%
THEY RECEIVED MY%
EMAILS FOR 8 OR
9 YEARS AND
SUDDENLY, ALL OF%
MY
CAMPAIGN EMAILS%
ARE NOW GOING TO%
THEIR SPAM%
FOLDERS.%
IFFIA COULD GIVE%
ME
CLAIREIFICATION
ON THAT, I WOULD%
APPRECIATE IT.%
>> WITH G MAIL
RGS WE ARE
FOCUSED ON WHAT
USERS WANT.%
WHEN THEY HAVE%
INDICATED THEY%
WANT US TO%
ORGANIZE THEIR
PERSONAL EMAILS
SEPARATELY, ALL%
WE HAVE DONE IS%
WE HAVE A%
PRIMARY TAB FOR
FRIENDS AND
FAMILY, AND THE%
SECONDARY TAB%
HAS%
NOTIFICATIONS.%
>> IT WAS MY
FATHER WHO WAS
NOT
RECEIVING MY
CAMPAIGN EMAILS.%
SO CLEARLY THAT%
IS FAMILIAR%
THING YOU ARE
TALKING ABOUT
DIDN’T APPLY TO
MY EMAIL.%
>> OUR SYSTEMS
ARE PROBABLY NOT%
ABLE TO%
UNDERSTAND THAT%
FROM
YOUR CAMPAIGN
THAT IS YOUR
FATHER.%
WE JUST SUPPLY
NEWTERALLY ACROSS%
ALL
ORGANIZATIONS.%
>> WHAT%
ASSURANCES CAN
YOU GIVE
ME THAT ANY BIAS
AMONGST YOUR
EMPLOYEES ISN’T
INFLUENCING YOUR%
SPAM FOLDER
ALGORITHMS?%
>> CONGRESSMAN,%
THERE IS NOTHING%
IN THE ALGORITHM
THAT HAS
ANYTHING TO DO%
WITH POLITICAL
IDEOLOGY.%
WE GET COMPLAINTS
ACROSS THE%
AISLE.%
THE WORLD%
SOCIALIST REVIEW%
COMPLAINED IN%
JANUARY OF THIS%
YEAR THAT THEIR%
SITE WAS NOT
FOUND IN GOOGLE%
SEARCH RESULTS.%
WE GET%
COMPLAINTS.%
WE LOOK INTO IT.%
