Editing Scientology and the Internet (section)

== Overview ==

'''Scientology versus the internet''' was a phrase coined to describe the "war" that the Church of Scientology waged to try to remove their copyrighted materials and secret "advanced technology" from the internet, and to hinder, harass and punish those who used the internet to discuss Scientology and expose abuses. The efforts started in earnest in the 1990s and were effectively abandoned in the late-2000s.{{r|rinder|pp=153-156}} Former national spokesman for Scientology [[Robert Vaughn Young]] once said, "I am thankful I'm not having to face the Net. It's going to be to Scientology what Vietnam was to the US."{{r|alt.scientology.war}}

At first, Scientology operatives attempted to shut down the main online newsgroup about Scientology. Failing that, they tried to overpower it. When insider information started to appear in droves, the organization identified and focused on several key players, had their premises raided, and filed lawsuits against them. Their efforts to suppress speech about Scientology attracted the attention of [[Anonymous (hacker group)|Anonymous]] in 2008, who declared their own war against Scientology, called [[Project Chanology]]. And finally with the posting of virtually all Scientology materials online, including with [[WikiLeaks]], internally Scientology conceded they had lost the war.

In 1994, [[Scientology official]] [[Mike Rinder]] was put on the case when the [[OT Level]]s appeared on the internet.
{{blockquote|text=This was a huge flap. ... At the outset, it was unclear who was responsible, and all hands began a frantic effort to nail down the perpetrators. ... We tapped any scientologist who had computer expertise and engage a group of PIs to collect evidence. This was both high priority and highly confidential. ... [Five] people were identified as suspects, and lawsuits were filed against them. In February 1995, federal marshals raided their homes and seized their computers. ... The filing of these lawsuits was a strategic blunder. It set the fledgling internet on fire and activists began appearing from all over, vowing to destroy scientology and end its assault on 'free speech'. [[Religious Technology Center|RTC]] launched a new — and virtual — assault that scientology has never recovered from: legal threats, lawsuits, and attempted criminal prosecutions proved to be no match for the anonymous worldwide information dissemination vehicle that was the ever-expanding internet. Scientology was losing the battle to keep the OT levels secret, ... databases proliferated containing all copyrighted works, all Hubbard lectures, and then internal scientology documents. ... we soon understood that we were under siege ... [our lawyers] sent out threats to every person who posted the materials, to the [ISPs], and even to the phone companies that gave access to the internet. But that resulted in more sites appearing. It was ultimately a hopeless war ... Eventually, even we had to admit we had lost. We were playing a never-ending game of [[Whac-A-Mole]] — virtually everything ever written by Hubbard or about Scientology has now been posted on the internet. |author=Mike Rinder {{r|rinder|pp=153-156}} }}

According to [[Tony Ortega]], in the 1970s it was easier for Scientology to make scandalous stories disappear. "With limited media outlets to target, Scientology could reasonably expect to control its reputation. Critics could be marginalized or drowned out." With the internet's popularity and mainstreaming, it is more difficult because "the Internet never forgets". [[Mark Ebner]] said that the internet was the undoing of Scientology, starting around 1996: "The Internet pulled back the curtain to find Hubbard bare, and caught the [[Office of Special Affairs]] with their pants down ... years later, Anonymous came to Cyber Town and strafed Scientology while they weren't looking." [[Dave Touretzky]], says the Internet still offers "a much-too-convenient source of truth that members turn to when they have doubts about their church".{{r|hicks}}