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== Scientology's online campaign ==
== Scientology's online campaign ==
⚫
{{Wikinews|Wikinews international report: "Anonymous" holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide}}
After failing to remove the newsgroup, Scientologists adopted a strategy of newsgroup spam and intimidation.<ref name="flames">{{cite news | first = Colman | last = Jones | title = Freedom Flames Out on the 'Net - Who launched the largest-ever sabotage of the Internet?| url = http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/15/44/News/feature.html | publisher = [[NOW (magazine)|NOW Magazine]] | date = [[1996-07-04]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03}}</ref> Scientologists and hired third parties regularly flood the newsgroup with pro-scientology messages, vague anti-scientology messages, irrelevant comments, and accusations that other posters are secret Scientologists intent on tracking and punishing posters. This makes the newsgroup virtually unreadable via online readers such as [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/ Google Groups], although more specialized newsreading software that can filter out all messages by specific "high noise" posters make the newsgroup more usable.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}
After failing to remove the newsgroup, Scientologists adopted a strategy of newsgroup spam and intimidation.<ref name="flames">{{cite news | first = Colman | last = Jones | title = Freedom Flames Out on the 'Net - Who launched the largest-ever sabotage of the Internet?| url = http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/15/44/News/feature.html | publisher = [[NOW (magazine)|NOW Magazine]] | date = [[1996-07-04]] | accessdate = 2006-12-03}}</ref> Scientologists and hired third parties regularly flood the newsgroup with pro-scientology messages, vague anti-scientology messages, irrelevant comments, and accusations that other posters are secret Scientologists intent on tracking and punishing posters. This makes the newsgroup virtually unreadable via online readers such as [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scientology/ Google Groups], although more specialized newsreading software that can filter out all messages by specific "high noise" posters make the newsgroup more usable.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}


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In August 2007, [[MSNBC]] quoted [[Associated Press]] in an article on the [[Wikipedia Scanner]], that computers owned by the Church of Scientology have been removing criticism in the Scientology entry on Wikipedia.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20284811/ New online tool traces Wikipedia edits: PCs in Scientology officialdom removed criticism in church's entry], ''[[MSNBC]]'', [[Associated Press]], Brian Bergstein, August 15, 2007</ref> A [[Fox News]] article also reported that Church of Scientology computers had been used to delete references between Scientology and the [[Cult Awareness Network]], in the article on the Cult Awareness Network on Wikipedia.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293389,00.html Wal-Mart, CIA, ExxonMobil Changed Wikipedia Entries], August 16, 2007, [[Fox News]], Rhys Blakely, Fox News Network, LLC.</ref>
In August 2007, [[MSNBC]] quoted [[Associated Press]] in an article on the [[Wikipedia Scanner]], that computers owned by the Church of Scientology have been removing criticism in the Scientology entry on Wikipedia.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20284811/ New online tool traces Wikipedia edits: PCs in Scientology officialdom removed criticism in church's entry], ''[[MSNBC]]'', [[Associated Press]], Brian Bergstein, August 15, 2007</ref> A [[Fox News]] article also reported that Church of Scientology computers had been used to delete references between Scientology and the [[Cult Awareness Network]], in the article on the Cult Awareness Network on Wikipedia.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293389,00.html Wal-Mart, CIA, ExxonMobil Changed Wikipedia Entries], August 16, 2007, [[Fox News]], Rhys Blakely, Fox News Network, LLC.</ref>


==Project Chanology==
In January 2008, an online group of users who collectively call themselves ''Anonymous'' began [[DDOS]] attacks on several scientology websites.<ref>{{cite news |title=Anonymous Versus Scientology: Cyber Criminals or Vigilante Justice? |date=[[2008-02-06]] |url=http://www.thelegality.com/archives/22 | work =The Legality |accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref> Scientology.org was brought down for several days due to the attack. The group released a video on [[YouTube]] outlining what they call "[[Project Chanology|War on Scientology]]".<ref>{{cite web | first = Robert | last = McMillan | title = Hackers Hit Scientology With Online Attack | url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141839/article.html | work = | publisher = [[PC World]] | date = [[2008-01-26]] | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Jonathan | last = Richards | title = Web vigilantes attack Scientology website | url = http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3250934.ece | work = | publisher = [[The Times]] | date = [[2008-01-25]] | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Robert | last = Vamosi | title = Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology | url = http://www.news.com/8301-10789_3-9857666-57.html | work = Defense in Depth | publisher = [[CNET]] | date = [[2008-01-24]] | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | first = Patrick | last = Barkham | title = Hackers declare war on Scientologists amid claims of heavy-handed Cruise control | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/04/news | work = | publisher = [[The Guardian]] | date = [[2008-02-04]] | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref> Another [[YouTube]] video entitled "Message to Scientology" was posted the same month by ''Anonymous''. A few weeks later in February 2008, the video was pulled off the site due to terms of violation.
{{main|Project Chanology}}
⚫
{{Wikinews|Wikinews international report: "Anonymous" holds anti-Scientology protests worldwide}}

On [[January 16]], [[2008]], a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with [[Tom Cruise]] was leaked to the Internet and uploaded to YouTube.<ref name="warne">{{cite news | last =Warne | first =Dan | coauthors = | title ="Anonymous" threatens to "dismantle" Church of Scientology via internet | work =[[APC Magazine]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[National Nine News]] | date =[[January 24]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.apcmag.com/7905/anonymous_threatens_to_dismantle_church_of_scientology_via_internet | accessdate =2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="knbc">{{cite news | last =KNBC Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Hacker Group Declares War On Scientology: Group Upset Over Church's Handling Of Tom Cruise Video | work =[[KNBC]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[January 24]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.knbc.com/news/15132759/detail.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> According to ''[[The Times]]'', Cruise can be seen in the video "extolling the virtues of Scientology".<ref name="richards">{{cite news | last =Richards | first =Johnathan (''[[The Times]]'') | coauthors = | title =Hackers Declare War on Scientology | work =[[FOX News]] | pages = | language = | publisher =FOX News Network, LLC. | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325586,00.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> The Church of Scientology asserted that the video material that had been leaked to YouTube and other websites was "pirated and edited" and taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology.<ref name="knbc" /><ref name="Church of Scientology Slams German Tabloid">{{cite news | last =FOX News staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Report: Church of Scientology Slams German Tabloid for Publishing Comments Comparing Tom Cruise to Nazi Minister | work =[[FOX News]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[January 23]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,324885,00.html | accessdate =2008-01-25 }}</ref> YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site at the request of the Church of Scientology.<ref name="vamosi anonymous hackers">{{cite news | last =Vamosi | first =Robert | coauthors = | title =Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology | work =[[CNET News]] | pages = | language = | publisher =CNET Networks, Inc. | date =[[January 24]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.news.com/8301-10789_3-9857666-57.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> The web site [[Gawker.com]] subsequently hosted a copy of the Tom Cruise video,<ref name="landers">{{cite news | last =Landers | first =Chris | coauthors = | title =The Internets Are Going to War | work =[[Baltimore City Paper]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.citypaper.com/digest.asp?id=15150 | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="vamosi anonymous hackers" /> and refused to comply with a letter sent by the lawyers for the Church of Scientology demanding its removal.<ref name="Video shows Cruise">{{cite news | last =New Zealand Herald staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Video shows Cruise in rave mode | work =[[New Zealand Herald]] | pages = | language = | publisher =APN Holdings NZ Limited | date =[[January 19]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10487567 | accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref>

[[Project Chanology]] was formulated by the Internet-based group collectively known as [[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]] in response to the copyright violation claim issued by the Church of Scientology against YouTube.<ref name="George-Cosh">{{cite news | last =George-Cosh | first =David | coauthors = | title =Online group declares war on Scientology | work =[[National Post]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[CanWest Global Communications|Canwest Publishing Inc.]] | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=261308 | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="singel">{{cite news | last =Singel | first =Ryan | coauthors = | title =War Breaks Out Between Hackers and Scientology -- There Can Be Only One | work =[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Condé Nast Publications|CondéNet, Inc.]] | date =[[January 23]], [[2008]] | url =http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-attac.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="feran">{{cite news | last =Feran | first =Tom | coauthors = | title =Where to find the Tom Cruise Scientology videos online, if they're still posted | work =[[The Plain Dealer (newspaper)|The Plain Dealer]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Advance Publications|Newhouse Newspapers]] | date =[[January 24]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/120116724530070.xml&coll=2 | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="chanenterprises">{{cite news | last =Chan Enterprises | first = | coauthors = | title =Internet Group Declares "War on Scientology": "Anonymous" are fighting the Church of Scientology and the Religious Technology Center | work =Press Release | pages = | language = | publisher =PRLog.Org | date =[[January 21]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.prlog.org/10046797-internet-group-anonymous-declares-war-on-scientology.pdf | accessdate =2008-01-25 }}</ref>
Calling the action by the Church of Scientology a form of [[Internet censorship]], members of Project Chanology organized a series of [[denial-of-service attack]]s against Scientology websites, [[prank calls]], and [[black fax]]es to Scientology centers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Anonymous Versus Scientology: Cyber Criminals or Vigilante Justice? |date=[[2008-02-06]] |url=http://www.thelegality.com/archives/22 | work =The Legality |accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref> They state that their main goal is "to enlighten the Church of Scientology (CoS) by any means necessary".<ref name="dingman">{{cite news | last =Dingman | first =Shane | coauthors = | title =Scientology under digital assault by web vigilantes | work =[[National Post]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[CanWest Global Communications|Canwest Publishing Inc.]] | date =[[January 24]], [[2008]] | url =http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/01/24/scientology-under-digital-assault-by-web-vigilantes.aspx | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> Their website states: "This will be a game of mental warfare. It will require our talkers, not our hackers. It will require our dedicated Anon across the world to do their part."<ref>{{cite news | last =Nickson | first =Christopher | coauthors = | title =Hackers Fight Scientology: A group of hackers going under the name Anonymous has declared an online war against the Church of Scientology. | work =Digital Trends News | pages = | language = | publisher = Digital Trends | date =[[January 29]], [[2008]] | url =http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/15555/hackers_fight_scientology | accessdate = 2008-01-30 }}</ref> One of the stated goals of Project Chanology is the complete removal of the Church of Scientology's presence on the Internet, and another is to "save people from Scientology by reversing the brainwashing".<ref>{{cite news | last =Ashwal | first =Dharmendra (AHN News Writer) | coauthors = | title =Anonymous Hackers Attack Church Of Scientology Website | work =All Headline News | pages = | language = | publisher = AHN Media Corp | date =January 30, 2008 | url =http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009881520 | accessdate = 2008-01-31 }}</ref><ref name="oconnell">{{cite news | last =O'Connell | first =Kelly (IBLS Editor) | coauthors = | title =INTERNET LAW - Hackers Disable Scientology Website & Declare War | work =Internet Business Law Services | pages = | language = | publisher =Internet Business Law Services, Inc. | date =[[January 30]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1972 | accessdate = 2008-01-31 }}</ref>

[[Image:2008 01 25 Scientology site error message.jpg|thumb|left|Error message shown by [[Prolexic Technologies]] during [[denial-of-service attack]] on Scientology.org site on [[January 25]], [[2008]].]]

The group was successful in taking down a Scientology website on [[January 18]], [[2008]],<ref name="richards">{{cite news | last =Richards | first =Johnathan (''[[The Times]]'') | coauthors = | title =Hackers Declare War on Scientology: A shadowy Internet group has succeeded in taking down a Scientology Web site after effectively declaring war on the church and calling for it to be destroyed. | work =[[FOX News]] | pages = | language = | publisher =FOX News Network, LLC. | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325586,00.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref><ref name="schliebs">{{cite news | last =Schliebs | first =Mark | coauthors = | title =Internet group declares war on Scientology | work =[[news.com.au]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[News Limited]] | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23107452-5014239,00.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref>, as well as affecting local Church of Scientology chapter sites.<ref name="vamosi anonymous hackers" /> The group also leaked documents stolen from Scientology computers which resulted in a large amount of coverage on [[Social bookmarking]] websites.<ref name="thomas">{{cite news | last =Thomas | first =Nicki | coauthors = | title =Scientology and the internet: Internet hackers attack the church | work =[[Edmonton Sun]] | pages = | language = | publisher =Sun Media | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/01/25/4794425.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> As of [[January 25]], [[2008]], the Church of Scientology's official website was still inaccessible.<ref name="kaplan">{{cite news | last =Kaplan| first =Dan| coauthors =| title =DDoS hack attack continues against Church of Scientology| work =SCMagazineUS.com| pages =| language =| publisher =Haymarket Media| date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.scmagazineus.com/DDoS-hack-attack-continues-against-Church-of-Scientology/article/104588/ | accessdate =2008-01-26 }}</ref>
In addition to the DDoS attacks against Church of Scientology websites, Anonymous also organized a campaign to drive up Scientology-related links on the website [[Digg.com]].<ref name="mcmillan update">{{cite news | last =McMillan | first =Robert (IDG News Service) | coauthors = | title =Hackers Hit Scientology With Online Attack - UPDATE: Campaign accelerates from distributed denial-of-service attack to Digg bumps. | work =[[PC World]] | pages = | language = | publisher =IDG Network | date =[[January 26]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141839-c,hackers/article.html | accessdate = 2008-01-28 }}</ref> On [[January 25]], [[2008]], eight of the top ten stories on [[Digg.com]] were related to either Scientology related controversies or Anonymous and the attempt to expose Scientology.<ref name="mcmillan">{{cite news | last =McMillan | first =Robert | coauthors =IDG News Service | title =Hackers Hit Scientology With Online Attack: Hacker group claims to have knocked the Church of Scientology's Web site offline with a distributed denial-of-service attack. | work =[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[IDG]] | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141839-c,hackers/article.html | accessdate = 2008-01-25}}</ref>
Anonymous also organised a [[Google bomb]] to make the Scientology.org main website the first result in a Google search for "dangerous cult" and "brainwashing cult", and make the website [[Operation Clambake|Xenu.net]] the first result in a search for "scientology".<ref name="miller">{{cite news | last =Miller | first =Jason Lee | coauthors = | title =Scientology Bomb Cruises Past Google | work =WebProNews: Breaking eBusiness and Search News | pages = | language = | publisher =iEntry, Inc. | date =[[January 29]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/29/scientology-bomb-cruises-past-google | accessdate = 2008-01-29 }}</ref><ref name="miller confirmed">{{cite news | last =Miller | first =Jason Lee | coauthors = | title =Confirmed: Crusaders Google Bomb Scientology | work =WebProNews: Breaking eBusiness and Search News | pages = | language = | publisher =iEntry, Inc. | date =[[January 31]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/01/30/confirmed-crusaders-google-bomb-scientology | accessdate = 2008-01-31 }}</ref>

On [[January 21]], [[2008]], Anonymous announced its goals and intentions via a video posted to YouTube entitled "Message to Scientology", and a [[press release]] declaring a "War on Scientology" against both the Church of Scientology and the [[Religious Technology Center]].<ref name="chanenterprises" /><ref name="thomas" /><ref name="dodd">{{cite news | last =Dodd | first =Gareth (Editor) | coauthors =Agencies | title ="Anonymous" hackers vow to "dismantle" Scientology | work =[[Xinhua News Agency]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[January 25]], [[2008]] | url =http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/25/content_7495986.htm | accessdate = 2008-01-25 }}</ref> In the press release, the group states that the attacks against the Church of Scientology will continue in order to protect the right to [[Freedom of speech|freedom of speech]], and end what they believe to be the financial exploitation of church members.<ref name="brandon">{{cite news|last=Brandon| first =Mikhail | coauthors =| title =Scientology in the Crosshairs| work =[[The Emory Wheel]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Emory University]] | date =[[January 28]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=24945 | accessdate =2008-01-31 }}</ref>
A new video "Call to Action" appeared on YouTube on [[January 28]], [[2008]], calling for protests outside Church of Scientology centers on [[February 10]], [[2008]].<ref name="feran the group anonymous">{{cite news | last =Feran | first =Tom | coauthors = | title =The group Anonymous calls for protests outside Scientology centers - New on the Net | work =[[The Plain Dealer (newspaper)|The Plain Dealer]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Advance Publications|Newhouse Newspapers]] | date =[[January 31]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1201771820310820.xml&coll=2 | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref><ref name="vamosi anonymous names">{{cite news | last =Vamosi | first =Robert | coauthors = | title =Anonymous names February 10 as its day of action against Scientology | work =[[CNET News]] | pages = | language = | publisher =CNET Networks, Inc. | date =[[January 28]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.news.com/8301-10789_3-9859513-57.html | accessdate = 2008-01-28 }}</ref> The video states that Project Chanology participants include "individuals from all walks of life ... united by an awareness that someone must do the right thing".<ref name="feran the group anonymous" /> Specific [[Scientology controversies|controversies]] involving the Church of Scientology are cited in the video as an explanation for the actions of Anonymous.<ref name="feran the group anonymous">{{cite news | last =Feran | first =Tom | coauthors = | title =The group Anonymous calls for protests outside Scientology centers - New on the Net | work =[[The Plain Dealer (newspaper)|The Plain Dealer]] | pages = | language = | publisher =[[Advance Publications|Newhouse Newspapers]] | date =[[January 31]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1201771820310820.xml&coll=2 | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref>

[[Image:Anonymous Scientology 9 by David Shankbone.JPG|thumb|The Internet group known as '[[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]]' held protests outside Scientology centers in cities around the world in February 2008. <ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-anonymous11feb11,1,2110184.story L.A. takes part in Scientology protests], Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2008.</ref>]]

On [[February 2]], [[2008]], 150 people gathered outside of a Church of Scientology center in [[Orlando, Florida]] to protest the organization's practices.<ref name="braiker">{{cite news | last =Braiker | first =Brian | coauthors = | title =The Passion of ‘Anonymous’: A shadowy, loose-knit consortium of activists and hackers called 'Anonymous' is just the latest thorn in Scientology's side. | work =[[Newsweek]] | pages =Technology: Newsweek Web Exclusive | language = | publisher =Newsweek, Inc. | date =[[February 8]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.newsweek.com/id/109410 | accessdate =2008-02-09 }}</ref><ref name="barkham">{{cite news | last = Barkham | first = Patrick | coauthors = | title = Hackers declare war on Scientologists amid claims of heavy-handed Cruise control | work = [[The Guardian]] | pages = | language = | publisher = Guardian News and Media Limited | date = [[February 4]], [[2008]] | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/04/news | accessdate = 2008-02-03}}</ref><ref name="wkmg">{{cite news | last =Staff | first = | coauthors = | title =Group Lines Road To Protest Church Of Scientology | work =[[WKMG-TV]] | pages = | language = | publisher =Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com | date =[[February 3]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.local6.com/news/15205679/detail.html | accessdate =2008-02-03 }}</ref><ref name="eckinger">{{cite news | last =Eckinger | first =Helen | coauthors =Gabrielle Finley, Katherine Norris | title =Anti-Scientology group has protest rally | work =[[Orlando Sentinel]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[February 3]], [[2008]] | url =http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-cfbriefs03_508feb03,0,1439702.story | accessdate = 2008-02-03 }}</ref> Small protests were also held in [[Santa Barbara, California]] (during the [[Santa Barbara International Film Festival]]),<ref name="standifer">{{cite news | last = Standifer | first = Tom | title = Masked Demonstrators Protest Against Church of Scientology | work = [[Daily Nexus]] | pages = Issue 69, Volume 88 | publisher = [[University of California, Santa Barbara]] | date = [[February 4]], [[2008]] | url = http://www.dailynexus.com/article.php?a=15686 | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref> and [[Manchester|Manchester, England]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Eber | first = Hailey | title = Anti-Scientologists Warm Up for February 10 | work = [[Radar (magazine)|Radar Online]] | publisher = Radar Magazine | date = [[February 4]], [[2008]] | url = http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/02/antiscientologists-warming-up-for-february-10.php | accessdate = 2008-02-04 }}</ref><ref name="barkham" /> Protesters in Orlando carried signs with messages "Knowledge is Free" and "Honk if you hate Scientology".<ref name="eckinger" /> According to [[WKMG-TV]], the protesters called the Church of Scientology a "dangerous cult" and said the organization is responsible for crimes and deaths.<ref name="wkmg" /> Protesters at the demonstration wore masks, and stated they were attempting to inform the public about what they believed to be "restrictions of free speech and profiteering through pyramid schemes" by the Church of Scientology.<ref name="standifer" />

On [[February 10]], [[2008]], about 7,000 people protested in more than 93 cities worldwide.<ref name="MoncadaFeb12">{{cite news |author=Carlos Moncada |title=Organizers Tout Scientology Protest, Plan Another |url=http://suncoastpinellas.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/12/organizers-tout-scientology-protest-plan-another/ |work= |publisher=[[The Tampa Tribune|TBO.com]] |date=2008-02-12 |accessdate=2008-02-13 }}</ref><ref name="RamadgeFeb14">{{cite news | author=Andrew Ramadge | title=Scientology protest surge crashes websites | url=http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23212002-5014239,00.html | work=[[News.com.au]] | publisher=[[News Limited]] | date=2008-02-14 | accessdate=2008-02-14 }} </ref> Within 24 hours of the first protest, a search for "Scientology" and "protest" on [[Google Blog Search]] returned over 4,000 results and more than 2,000 pictures on the image-sharing site [[Flickr]].<ref name="RamadgeFeb14" /> Cities with turnouts of one hundred or more protesters included [[Dublin, Ireland]], [[Dallas]] and [[Austin, Texas]], [[Adelaide]], [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney, Australia]], [[Toronto, Canada]], [[Clearwater, Florida]], [[New York City]] and [[London, England]].<ref>For a fully-sourced list of the February 10 protest sites and press coverage, refer to [[Template:Project Chanology protests, February 10 2008]].</ref>
Masked protesters in [[Seattle]] were quoted as saying, "We believe in total freedom of belief. We have nothing against the people of Scientology, however the Church of Scientology has committed crimes. They're vehemently anti-opposition. Anyone who opposes them, must go down."<ref name="King5Feb10">{{cite news |author=KING staff |title=Seattle group stages protest against Church of Scientology |url=http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_021008WAB_scientology_protest_SW.accc9b6e.html |work=[http://www.king5.com/ KING5.com] |publisher=[[KING-TV]] |location=[[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] |date=2008-02-10 |accessdate=2008-02-11 }}</ref> Anonymous has stated the next protest will be on [[The Ides of March|March 15]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Anti-Scientology Group Predicts Thousands Will Protest Churches |url=http://www.nbc11.com/news/15217323/detail.html |work=[[KNTV]] |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2008-02-11 }}</ref>


== Notable legal actions ==
== Notable legal actions ==

Revision as of 11:21, 18 February 2008

An Internet group that only referred to itself as 'Anonymous' held protests outside Scientology centers in cities around the world in February 2008. Issues they protested ranged from alleged abuse of followers to the validity of its tax-exempt status as a church.[1] Members sometimes wore Guy Fawkes masks inspired by the movie V for Vendetta.

Scientology has been involved in a number of disputes on the Internet related to suppressing free speech about Scientology through the use of lawsuits and legal threats. In late 1994, the Church of Scientology began using various legal tactics to stop distribution of unpublished documents written by L. Ron Hubbard. The Church of Scientology is often accused of barratry (or malicious litigation and intimidation). The official church response is that its litigious nature is solely to protect its copyrighted works and the unpublished status of certain documents.[2]

Some critics of the Church of Scientology say that the church is a scam and that these "secret" writings are proof. Some have said that the documents contain evidence that the Church of Scientology's medical practices are illegal and fraudulent;[3][4] this has been proven in several nations' courts, although not those of the United States. Critics have said that the Church of Scientology is abusing copyright law by launching lawsuits against outspoken critics of the organization.[5]

alt.religion.scientology

Welcome to mortal combat between two alien cultures - a flame war with real bullets.

— alt.scientology.war, Wired magazine 3.12, December 1995

The newsgroup alt.religion.scientology was created in 1991 by Scott Goehring, partly as a joke, partly for the purpose of informing the public about Scientology. [6] Debate over the pros and cons of Scientology waxed and waned on the newsgroup through the first three years of its existence, and flame wars were common, as they were on most other newsgroups.

The online battle is generally seen to have begun with the arrival of Dennis Erlich to alt.religion.scientology in mid-1994. A former high-ranking official in the organization who had been personally affiliated with L. Ron Hubbard, Erlich's presence on the newsgroup caused a number of regular participants there to sit up and take notice.[6][7]

The Xenu revelation

On December 24, 1994, the first of a large number of anonymous messages was posted to alt.religion.scientology, containing the text of the "secret" writings of Scientology known as the OT Levels (OT stands for "Operating Thetan"). Included among these postings was OT III (Operating Thetan Level Three), which gave L. Ron Hubbard's description of the "Xenu story." This action brought on the actions of lawyers representing Scientology, who contacted various newsgroup participants and posted warnings demanding that the unauthorized distribution of the OT writings cease. The lawyers described the documents as "copyrighted, trademarked, unpublished trade secrets", and the distribution of the materials as a violation of copyright law and trademark law.

Attempt to remove alt.religion.scientology

On January 11 1995, Church lawyer Helena Kobrin attempted to shut down the Usenet discussion group alt.religion.scientology by sending a control message instructing Usenet servers to delete the group on the grounds that

(1) It was started with a forged message; (2) not discussed on alt.config; (3) it has the name "scientology" in its title which is a trademark and is misleading, as a.r.s. is mainly used for flamers to attack the Scientology religion; (4) it has been and continues to be heavily abused with copyright and trade secret violations and serves no purpose other than condoning these illegal practices.[6] [1]

In practice, this rmgroup message had little effect [2], since most Usenet servers are configured to disregard such messages when applied to groups that receive substantial traffic, and newgroup messages were quickly issued for those servers that did not do so. However, the issuance of the message led to a great deal of public criticism of Scientology by free-speech advocates, including hacker group Cult of the Dead Cow, who issued a declaration of war against the Church.[8]

Raids and lawsuits

Shortly after the initial legal announcements and rmgroup attempt, representatives of Scientology followed through with a series of lawsuits against various participants on the newsgroup, including Dennis Erlich. The first raid took place on February 13 1995.[9] Accompanied by Scientology lawyers, federal marshals made several raids on the homes of individuals who were accused of posting Scientology's copyrighted materials to the newsgroup. Raids took place against Arnaldo Lerma (Virginia)[10], Lawrence Wollersheim and Robert Penny of FACTNet (Colorado), and Dennis Erlich (California). Internationally, raids took place against Karin Spaink (The Netherlands) and Zenon Panoussis (Sweden). In addition to filing lawsuits against individuals, Scientology also sued The Washington Post for reprinting one paragraph of the OT writings in a newspaper article, as well as several Internet service providers, including Netcom and XS4ALL. It also regularly demanded the deletion of material from the Deja News archive.

Participants in alt.religion.scientology began using quotes from OT III in particular to publicize the online battle over the secret documents [11]. The story of Xenu was subsequently quoted in many publications, including news reports on CNN[12] and 60 Minutes[13]. It became the most famous reference to the OT levels, to the point where many Internet users who were not intimately familiar with Scientology had heard the story of Xenu, and immediately associated the name with Scientology. The initial strikes against Scientology's critics settled down into a series of legal battles that raged through the courts. The Electronic Frontier Foundation provided legal assistance to several of the defendants, and daily reports of the latest happenings were posted to alt.religion.scientology. The newsgroup's popularity exploded, rocketing it to the ranks of the newsgroups with the heaviest message traffic and the highest number of readers. As the months and years wore on and the lawsuits continued without end, however, a number of participants in the newsgroup grew silent and moved on.

In the wake of the Scientology actions, the Penet remailer, which had been the most popular anonymous remailer in the world until the Scientology "war" took place, was shut down. Johan Helsingius, operator of the remailer, stated that the legal protections afforded him in his country (Finland) were too thin to protect him and he was forced to close down the remailer as a result.[14][15][16]

Scientology's online campaign

After failing to remove the newsgroup, Scientologists adopted a strategy of newsgroup spam and intimidation.[17] Scientologists and hired third parties regularly flood the newsgroup with pro-scientology messages, vague anti-scientology messages, irrelevant comments, and accusations that other posters are secret Scientologists intent on tracking and punishing posters. This makes the newsgroup virtually unreadable via online readers such as Google Groups, although more specialized newsreading software that can filter out all messages by specific "high noise" posters make the newsgroup more usable.[citation needed]

While legal battles were being fought in the courts, an equally intense and aggressive campaign was waged online. The newsgroup alt.religion.scientology found itself at the center of an electronic maelstrom of information and disinformation, as the newsgroup itself was attacked both literally and figuratively. Tens of thousands of junk messages were spammed onto the newsgroup, rendering it nearly unreadable at times when the message "floods" were at their peaks.[17] Over one million sporgery articles were injected into the newsgroup, apparently by Scientology management and staff. Lawyers representing Scientology made public appeals to Internet service providers to remove the newsgroup completely from their news servers. [3] Furthermore, anonymous participants in the newsgroup kept up a steady stream of flame wars and off-topic arguments. Participants on the newsgroup accused Scientology of orchestrating these electronic attacks, though the organization consistently denied any wrongdoing.

In the early days of the World Wide Web, Scientology attempted a similar strategy to make finding websites critical of the organization more difficult. Scientology employed Web designers to write thousands of Web pages for their site, thus flooding early search engines.[18] This problem was solved by the innovation of clustering responses from the same Web server, showing no more than the top two results from any one site (e.g. Google).

Since the inception of the Internet, Scientology has made a policy of using copyright infringement laws to prosecute various Scientology critics posting exposing information on the Web. The Church uses legal pressure combined with blackmail and character assassination to attempt to win many court cases in which it involves itself.[19] On the other side of the battle, many Web-page developers have linked the words "Dianetics" and "Scientology" to Operation Clambake. This resulted in the anti-Scientology site having the highest Google index on the term for a while, which in turn resulted in Scientology persuading Google to remove links to the site[20] until international outcry led to the links being restored. This might be considered an early example of a Google bomb, and certainly has led to interesting questions about the power and obligations of Internet search providers.

In the 1990s Scientology was distributing a special software package for its members to protect them from "unapproved" material about the church. The software is designed to completely block out the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology, various anti-Scientology web sites, and all references to various critics of Scientology. This software package was derided by critics, who accused the organization of censorship and called the program "Scieno Sitter", after the content-control software net-filter program Cyber Sitter. Since no updates have been reported since 1998 (and the original filter program only worked with Windows 95) the package is unlikely to be in use with recent operating systems and browsers due to software rot.[18]

In June 2006, Scientology lawyers sent cease-and-desist letters to Max Goldberg, founder of the website YTMND, asking him to take down all sites that either talked about or mocked Scientology, which had recently become a fad on the site following a popular South Park episode. Goldberg responded by saying that the "claims are completely groundless and I'm not removing anything," adding to the members of the site, "it should only be a matter of time before we're sued out of existence." In response, YTMNDers created yet more sites about Scientology, and these were highlighted on the main page. They also campaigned to Google bomb "The Unfunny Truth About Scientology" site. As of January 2008, no legal action has been taken against YTMND or Goldberg.

In August 2007, MSNBC quoted Associated Press in an article on the Wikipedia Scanner, that computers owned by the Church of Scientology have been removing criticism in the Scientology entry on Wikipedia.[21] A Fox News article also reported that Church of Scientology computers had been used to delete references between Scientology and the Cult Awareness Network, in the article on the Cult Awareness Network on Wikipedia.[22]

Project Chanology

Main article: Project Chanology
Wikinews has related news:

On January 16, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Tom Cruise was leaked to the Internet and uploaded to YouTube.[23][24] According to The Times, Cruise can be seen in the video "extolling the virtues of Scientology".[25] The Church of Scientology asserted that the video material that had been leaked to YouTube and other websites was "pirated and edited" and taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology.[24][26] YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site at the request of the Church of Scientology.[27] The web site Gawker.com subsequently hosted a copy of the Tom Cruise video,[28][27] and refused to comply with a letter sent by the lawyers for the Church of Scientology demanding its removal.[29]

Project Chanology was formulated by the Internet-based group collectively known as Anonymous in response to the copyright violation claim issued by the Church of Scientology against YouTube.[30][31][32][33] Calling the action by the Church of Scientology a form of Internet censorship, members of Project Chanology organized a series of denial-of-service attacks against Scientology websites, prank calls, and black faxes to Scientology centers.[34] They state that their main goal is "to enlighten the Church of Scientology (CoS) by any means necessary".[35] Their website states: "This will be a game of mental warfare. It will require our talkers, not our hackers. It will require our dedicated Anon across the world to do their part."[36] One of the stated goals of Project Chanology is the complete removal of the Church of Scientology's presence on the Internet, and another is to "save people from Scientology by reversing the brainwashing".[37][38]

Error message shown by Prolexic Technologies during denial-of-service attack on Scientology.org site on January 25, 2008.

The group was successful in taking down a Scientology website on January 18, 2008,[25][39], as well as affecting local Church of Scientology chapter sites.[27] The group also leaked documents stolen from Scientology computers which resulted in a large amount of coverage on Social bookmarking websites.[40] As of January 25, 2008, the Church of Scientology's official website was still inaccessible.[41] In addition to the DDoS attacks against Church of Scientology websites, Anonymous also organized a campaign to drive up Scientology-related links on the website Digg.com.[42] On January 25, 2008, eight of the top ten stories on Digg.com were related to either Scientology related controversies or Anonymous and the attempt to expose Scientology.[43] Anonymous also organised a Google bomb to make the Scientology.org main website the first result in a Google search for "dangerous cult" and "brainwashing cult", and make the website Xenu.net the first result in a search for "scientology".[44][45]

On January 21, 2008, Anonymous announced its goals and intentions via a video posted to YouTube entitled "Message to Scientology", and a press release declaring a "War on Scientology" against both the Church of Scientology and the Religious Technology Center.[33][40][46] In the press release, the group states that the attacks against the Church of Scientology will continue in order to protect the right to freedom of speech, and end what they believe to be the financial exploitation of church members.[47] A new video "Call to Action" appeared on YouTube on January 28, 2008, calling for protests outside Church of Scientology centers on February 10, 2008.[48][49] The video states that Project Chanology participants include "individuals from all walks of life ... united by an awareness that someone must do the right thing".[48] Specific controversies involving the Church of Scientology are cited in the video as an explanation for the actions of Anonymous.[48]

The Internet group known as 'Anonymous' held protests outside Scientology centers in cities around the world in February 2008. [50]

On February 2, 2008, 150 people gathered outside of a Church of Scientology center in Orlando, Florida to protest the organization's practices.[51][52][53][54] Small protests were also held in Santa Barbara, California (during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival),[55] and Manchester, England.[56][52] Protesters in Orlando carried signs with messages "Knowledge is Free" and "Honk if you hate Scientology".[54] According to WKMG-TV, the protesters called the Church of Scientology a "dangerous cult" and said the organization is responsible for crimes and deaths.[53] Protesters at the demonstration wore masks, and stated they were attempting to inform the public about what they believed to be "restrictions of free speech and profiteering through pyramid schemes" by the Church of Scientology.[55]

On February 10, 2008, about 7,000 people protested in more than 93 cities worldwide.[57][58] Within 24 hours of the first protest, a search for "Scientology" and "protest" on Google Blog Search returned over 4,000 results and more than 2,000 pictures on the image-sharing site Flickr.[58] Cities with turnouts of one hundred or more protesters included Dublin, Ireland, Dallas and Austin, Texas, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, Toronto, Canada, Clearwater, Florida, New York City and London, England.[59] Masked protesters in Seattle were quoted as saying, "We believe in total freedom of belief. We have nothing against the people of Scientology, however the Church of Scientology has committed crimes. They're vehemently anti-opposition. Anyone who opposes them, must go down."[60] Anonymous has stated the next protest will be on March 15.[61]

Notable legal actions

See also: Scientology and the legal system

A few of the court cases were decided in favor of Scientology, while most of the cases were settled out of court. Noteworthy incidents in the later years of the online war included:

  • Scientology's lawsuit against ex-member Arnaldo Lerma, his provider Digital Gateway, and The Washington Post. Lerma posted the Fishman Affidavit that contained 61 pages of the allegedly trade-secret and copyrighted story of Xenu.[6]
  • Zenon Panoussis, a resident of Sweden, was also sued for posting Scientology's copyrighted materials to the Internet. In his defense, he used a provision of the Constitution of Sweden that guarantees access to public documents. Panoussis turned over a copy of the NOTs documents to the office of the Swedish Parliament and, by law, copies of all documents (with few exceptions) received by authorities are available for anyone from the public to see, at any time he or she wishes. This, known as the Principle of Public Access (Offentlighetsprincipen), is considered a basic civil right in Sweden. The case, however, was decided against Panoussis. The results of his case sparked a legal firestorm in Sweden that debated the necessity of re-writing part of the Constitution.[62][63]
  • In 1995 Scientology caused a raid on the servers of Dutch Internet provider XS4ALL and sued it and Karin Spaink for copyright violations arising from publishing excerpts from confidential materials of Scientology. There followed a summary judgment in 1995, full proceedings in 1999, an appeal in 2003[64][65] which has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Netherlands in December 2005, all in favor of the provider and Karin Spaink.[66]
  • Dennis Erlich and Scientology settled their lawsuits. Erlich withdrew from the online battle entirely, and all mention of him was removed from Church of Scientology material.[6][19][67]
  • Activist Keith Henson was sued for posting a portion of Scientology's writings to the Internet. Henson defended himself in court without a lawyer, while at the same time he carried out protests and pickets against Scientology. The court found that Henson had committed copyright infringement, and the damage award against Henson was immense: $75,000, an amount which Scientology said was the largest damages ever awarded against an individual for copyright infringement. Henson's case became increasingly more complex and ongoing, with a misdemeanor conviction of interfering with religion in Riverside County, California. In his Internet writings, Henson said that he was forced to flee the United States and seek asylum in Canada due to ongoing threats against him.[68][6]
  • Scientology is one of the first organizations to make use of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In June 1999, Scientology used the controversial law to force AT&T Worldnet to reveal the identity of a person who had been posting anonymously to alt.religion.scientology with the pseudonym of "Safe".[69]
  • In March 2001, legal threats from Scientology lawyers forced Slashdot to remove text from one of its discussion boards, after an excerpt from OT III was posted there. Slashdot noted this as the first time a comment had to be removed from its system due to copyright concerns, and retaliated by posting a list of links to anti-Scientology websites.[69]
  • The organization also used the DMCA to force the Google search engine to erase its entries on the controversial anti-Scientology Web site Operation Clambake in March 2002, though the entry was reinstated after Google received a large number of complaints from Internet users. The publicity stemming from this incident lead Google to begin submitting DMCA takedown notices it received to the Chilling Effects archive, which archives legal threats of all sorts made against Internet users and Internet sites.[70][71]
  • In September 2002, lawyers for Scientology contacted Internet Archive (archive.org), the administrators of the Wayback Machine and asserted copyright claims on certain materials archived as historical contents of the Operation Clambake site. In response, the Wayback Machine administration removed the archive of the entire Clambake site, initially posting a false claim that the site's author had requested its removal. This claim has been removed but (as of February 2008) the site still returns a "Blocked Site Error" from the Wayback archive.[71]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ L.A. takes part in Scientology protests, Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2008.
  2. ^ Freedom Magazine, Vol 27, Issue 4: An open letter from the Church of Scientology
  3. ^ See for instance Jacobsen, Jeff. "Medical claims within Scientology's secret teachings", 1996
  4. ^ O'Connor, Mike. "How Scientology claims to cure physical illness", 2003
  5. ^ For instance, see Hausherr, Tilman. "NOTS34: criminality successfully protected by copyright law", 1998; Wachter, Kristi. "'Handling a physical condition' with the NOTs"
  6. ^ a b c d e f Grossman, Wendy. "Copyright Terrorists". Net. Wars. New York: New York University Press. pp. 77–78. ISBN 0-8147-3103-1. Retrieved 2006-06-11. {{cite book}}: External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |origmonth= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Grossman, Wendy M. (2005). "alt.scientology.war" (3.12). Wired magazine. pp. p.3. Retrieved 2007-07-19. His critical posts, with quotations from the church literature, turned alt.religion.scientology from debating club to battlefield. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Swamp Ratte. "Statement Concerning the 'Church' of Scientology." CULT OF THE DEAD COW Press Release, June 4, 1995. Retrieved June 14, 2006.
  9. ^ The Church of Scientology vs. Dennis Erlich, Tom Klemesrud & Netcom
  10. ^ Ryan, Nick (2000-03-23). "The gospel of the web". Technology. The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-10-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Roland Rashleigh-Berry. "The XENU Leaflet" (download in various formats). Operation Clambake.
  12. ^ "Church of Scientology protects secrets on the Internet". CNN. August 26, 1995.
  13. ^ "Transcript of CBS' "60 Minutes"". Operation Clambake.
  14. ^ The Church of Scientology vs. anon.penet.fi
  15. ^ Prendergast, Alan (1995-10-04). "Stalking the Net". Denver Westword News. Village Voice Media. Retrieved 2008-01-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Helmers, Sabine (1997-09-01). "A Brief History of anon.penet.fi". CMC Magazine. Retrieved 2008-01-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ a b Jones, Colman (1996-07-04). "Freedom Flames Out on the 'Net - Who launched the largest-ever sabotage of the Internet?". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2006-12-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ a b Brown, Janelle (1998-07-15). "A Web of their own". Salon. Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
  19. ^ a b Freedom Magazine, Vol 27, Issue 4: A Crime By Any Other Name. See "Dennis Erlich: Copyright Terrorist". (Archived January 16th, 1999.)
  20. ^ Matt Loney (2002-03-21). "Google pulls anti-Scientology links". CNet. Retrieved 2006-12-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ New online tool traces Wikipedia edits: PCs in Scientology officialdom removed criticism in church's entry, MSNBC, Associated Press, Brian Bergstein, August 15, 2007
  22. ^ Wal-Mart, CIA, ExxonMobil Changed Wikipedia Entries, August 16, 2007, Fox News, Rhys Blakely, Fox News Network, LLC.
  23. ^ Warne, Dan (January 24, 2008). ""Anonymous" threatens to "dismantle" Church of Scientology via internet". APC Magazine. National Nine News. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  24. ^ a b KNBC Staff (January 24, 2008). "Hacker Group Declares War On Scientology: Group Upset Over Church's Handling Of Tom Cruise Video". KNBC. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  25. ^ a b Richards, Johnathan (The Times) (January 25, 2008). "Hackers Declare War on Scientology". FOX News. FOX News Network, LLC. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Cite error: The named reference "richards" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  26. ^ FOX News staff (January 23, 2008). "Report: Church of Scientology Slams German Tabloid for Publishing Comments Comparing Tom Cruise to Nazi Minister". FOX News. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ a b c Vamosi, Robert (January 24, 2008). "Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology". CNET News. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ Landers, Chris (January 25, 2008). "The Internets Are Going to War". Baltimore City Paper. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ New Zealand Herald staff (January 19, 2008). "Video shows Cruise in rave mode". New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ George-Cosh, David (January 25, 2008). "Online group declares war on Scientology". National Post. Canwest Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  31. ^ Singel, Ryan (January 23, 2008). "War Breaks Out Between Hackers and Scientology -- There Can Be Only One". Wired. CondéNet, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  32. ^ Feran, Tom (January 24, 2008). "Where to find the Tom Cruise Scientology videos online, if they're still posted". The Plain Dealer. Newhouse Newspapers. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  33. ^ a b Chan Enterprises (January 21, 2008). "Internet Group Declares "War on Scientology": "Anonymous" are fighting the Church of Scientology and the Religious Technology Center" (PDF). Press Release. PRLog.Org. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  34. ^ "Anonymous Versus Scientology: Cyber Criminals or Vigilante Justice?". The Legality. 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Dingman, Shane (January 24, 2008). "Scientology under digital assault by web vigilantes". National Post. Canwest Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  36. ^ Nickson, Christopher (January 29, 2008). "Hackers Fight Scientology: A group of hackers going under the name Anonymous has declared an online war against the Church of Scientology". Digital Trends News. Digital Trends. Retrieved 2008-01-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  37. ^ Ashwal, Dharmendra (AHN News Writer) (January 30, 2008). "Anonymous Hackers Attack Church Of Scientology Website". All Headline News. AHN Media Corp. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  38. ^ O'Connell, Kelly (IBLS Editor) (January 30, 2008). "INTERNET LAW - Hackers Disable Scientology Website & Declare War". Internet Business Law Services. Internet Business Law Services, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  39. ^ Schliebs, Mark (January 25, 2008). "Internet group declares war on Scientology". news.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  40. ^ a b Thomas, Nicki (January 25, 2008). "Scientology and the internet: Internet hackers attack the church". Edmonton Sun. Sun Media. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  41. ^ Kaplan, Dan (January 25, 2008). "DDoS hack attack continues against Church of Scientology". SCMagazineUS.com. Haymarket Media. Retrieved 2008-01-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  42. ^ McMillan, Robert (IDG News Service) (January 26, 2008). "Hackers Hit Scientology With Online Attack - UPDATE: Campaign accelerates from distributed denial-of-service attack to Digg bumps". PC World. IDG Network. Retrieved 2008-01-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  43. ^ McMillan, Robert (January 25, 2008). "Hackers Hit Scientology With Online Attack: Hacker group claims to have knocked the Church of Scientology's Web site offline with a distributed denial-of-service attack". PC World. IDG. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ Miller, Jason Lee (January 29, 2008). "Scientology Bomb Cruises Past Google". WebProNews: Breaking eBusiness and Search News. iEntry, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  45. ^ Miller, Jason Lee (January 31, 2008). "Confirmed: Crusaders Google Bomb Scientology". WebProNews: Breaking eBusiness and Search News. iEntry, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  46. ^ Dodd, Gareth (Editor) (January 25, 2008). ""Anonymous" hackers vow to "dismantle" Scientology". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ Brandon, Mikhail (January 28, 2008). "Scientology in the Crosshairs". The Emory Wheel. Emory University. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  48. ^ a b c Feran, Tom (January 31, 2008). "The group Anonymous calls for protests outside Scientology centers - New on the Net". The Plain Dealer. Newhouse Newspapers. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  49. ^ Vamosi, Robert (January 28, 2008). "Anonymous names February 10 as its day of action against Scientology". CNET News. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-28. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  50. ^ L.A. takes part in Scientology protests, Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2008.
  51. ^ Braiker, Brian (February 8, 2008). "The Passion of 'Anonymous': A shadowy, loose-knit consortium of activists and hackers called 'Anonymous' is just the latest thorn in Scientology's side". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. pp. Technology: Newsweek Web Exclusive. Retrieved 2008-02-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ a b Barkham, Patrick (February 4, 2008). "Hackers declare war on Scientologists amid claims of heavy-handed Cruise control". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  53. ^ a b Staff (February 3, 2008). "Group Lines Road To Protest Church Of Scientology". WKMG-TV. Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  54. ^ a b Eckinger, Helen (February 3, 2008). "Anti-Scientology group has protest rally". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ a b Standifer, Tom (February 4, 2008). "Masked Demonstrators Protest Against Church of Scientology". Daily Nexus. University of California, Santa Barbara. pp. Issue 69, Volume 88. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. ^ Eber, Hailey (February 4, 2008). "Anti-Scientologists Warm Up for February 10". Radar Online. Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  57. ^ Carlos Moncada (2008-02-12). "Organizers Tout Scientology Protest, Plan Another". TBO.com. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
  58. ^ a b Andrew Ramadge (2008-02-14). "Scientology protest surge crashes websites". News.com.au. News Limited. Retrieved 2008-02-14.
  59. ^ For a fully-sourced list of the February 10 protest sites and press coverage, refer to Template:Project Chanology protests, February 10 2008.
  60. ^ KING staff (2008-02-10). "Seattle group stages protest against Church of Scientology". KING5.com. Seattle: KING-TV. Retrieved 2008-02-11. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
  61. ^ "Anti-Scientology Group Predicts Thousands Will Protest Churches". KNTV. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  62. ^ Macavinta, Courtney (1998-09-15). "Short Take: Scientologists win Net court case". CNET. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  63. ^ Macavinta, Courtney (1999-03-30). "Scientologists settle legal battle". CNET. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  64. ^ Hines, Matt (2003-09-08). "Scientology loss keeps hyperlinks legal". CNET. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  65. ^ Libbenga, Jan (2003-09-08). "Scientologists loses copyright case". The Register. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  66. ^ Final Victory! XS4ALL and Karin Spaink Win Scientology Battle, Press Release, December 16, 2005
  67. ^ Freedom Magazine, Vol 27, Issue 4: A Crime By Any Other Name. Redacted version.
  68. ^ Zapler, Mike (2007-07-07). "Scientology critic seeks pardon". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2007-08-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  69. ^ a b Goodin, Dan (1999-06-03). "Scientology subpoenas Worldnet". CNET. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "”UnSafe”" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  70. ^ Google Begins Making DMCA Takedowns Public
  71. ^ a b Bowman, Lisa M. (2002-09-24). "Net archive silences Scientology critic". CNET. Retrieved 2007-09-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Further reading

External links

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