Pfluger Promises Action on Big Tech’s Malformation of Public Discourse

Days into Pfluger’s first term, a videoed interview with us about the pending vote in the U.S. House to ratify the Biden election was removed by YouTube for violating their community policy against “election misinformation.” The videoed interview with our congressman who was explaining how he planned to vote in one of the most controversial issues during his first term earned San Angelo LIVE!’s YouTube page a “strike.” Later, in a sports program, we interviewed a January 6 protest participant who was previously a standout player on the Richland Springs 6-man football team. That interview earned us a second strike and suspension from YouTube. San Angelo LIVE!’s YouTube page was suspended for 10 days twice during this ordeal to the point that this company will not rely upon YouTube for business continuity.

YouTube is not the only Big Tech platform with which we have had struggles.

In our observation, Facebook’s “visibility filtering” system has made the platform less effective for regular users who are using it less while bot farm posts and fake account traffic are amplified. Stories we post on Facebook that formerly skyrocketed to “viral” status are suppressed while other less impactful stories are promoted by the deformed Facebook algorithm. One cannot predict how Facebook will react to content, benign or not, because of its disjointed shadow banning and amplification process.

Watch the video interview with January 6 protestor and former star on the 6-man football team in Richland Springs Tyler Etheridge that YouTube took down for "election misinformation":

The practice of shadow banning some voices while amplifying others has impact in local political issues as well as our local law enforcement.

By giving the the progressive left a pass by amplifying its voices, Big Tech is able to influence San Angelo’s local government. In April 2022, the public online execution of local business owner Evan Berryhill highlights the use of Big Tech’s progressive bias to destroy lives. Berryhill was in a verbal argument with two men who lived together in the dark parking lot in front of her own apartment. Insults were thrown both ways, but one of the men posted a video of the encounter. What followed was a months’ long online harassment campaign against Berryhill, culminating with Assistant County Attorney Leland Lacy ordering Berryhill arrested.

Bot farms, fake profiles, and purchased video views on TikTok and Instagram that were not shadow banned but seemingly amplified by Big Tech’s algorithms created a fake “confirmation bias” that fooled Lacy and law enforcement to take action against the purported “homophobe” named Berryhill. Jury selection for the Berryhill trial begins January 9, 2023. She is accused of Assault (Physical Contact) Committed because of bias or prejudice against homosexuals.

Lacy previously charged citizen and Army veteran Ronnie Wegner with assault after his confrontation with Jack Miller, a radical proponent of the Defund the Police movement. His arrest and public shaming happened after a similar online harassment campaign originated on YouTube. Lacy eventually dropped the charges against Wegner after Wegner promised to attend anger management classes.

Pfluger promised congressional action on Big Tech in an appearance on C-SPAN earlier this week.