Project Chanology

"Project Chanology" is the name given to a digital assault on the controversial Church of Scientology by "Anonymous" -a loose confederation of online pranksters and Internet trolls.

Coinciding with the publication of Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, material from an exclusive Scientology interview with Tom Cruise was leaked onto YouTube on January 16, 2008. According to The Daily Telegraph the video features "a manic-looking Cruise" who "gushes" about his appreciation of Scientology. During the video, music from Cruise's Mission Impossible films plays in the background, and Cruise makes claims including saying that Scientologists are the only people who can help at the scene of a car accident, and that Scientologists are the authority on getting addicts off drugs. The Church of Scientology stated that the video was produced to be shown to members of Scientology, and that the leaked version was a "pirated and edited" version taken from a three-hour event.

Formation

Denizens of various Internet forums formulated "Project Chanology" after the Church of Scientology issued a copyright violation claim against the video, and successfully coerced YouTube into removing it from their site under threat of litigation. The effort has also been referred to by group members as "Operation Chanology". Members of the group refer to each other and to the group as a whole as "Anonymous", and frequent the forums, boards and IRC channels of websites such as 4chan, 711chan.org and partyvan.info. As of January 25, 2008, the web site Gawker.com was still hosting a copy of the Tom Cruise video (despite CoS legal threats), and other sites have posted the entire video. Various forms of the video have since been re-posted on YouTube including a full-length version of the piece and various parodies.

Attack

Calling the action by the Church of Scientology a form of Internet censorship, a series of DDoS attacks against Scientology websites, prank calls, and black faxes to Scientology centers were organized. They call for this to continue until they have "total and complete destruction of the present form of the Church of Scientology". Members of "Anonymous" were directed via a web site set up for the group to download denial of service software in order to take down the website Scientology.org. The group was successful in taking down a Scientology website on January 18, 2008. Local Church of Scientology chapter sites were also affected. The "Project Chanology" website is set up in the form of a collaborative wiki. On January 21, 2008, a statement was released in the form of a press release by "Anonymous" declaring a "War on Scientology" against both the Church of Scientology and the Religious Technology Center. Speaking to Sky News, the chief executive of Internet security firm 7safe.com said that it was possible that the group used a denial-of-service attack, in order to take down the Scientology website.

On January 21, 2008 "Anonymous" posted a video to YouTube which said "We shall proceed to expel you from the Internet and systematically dismantle the church of scientology in its present form ... We are anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us." The Tom Cruise video is specifically named at the beginning of the "Anonymous" YouTube posting, and is referred to as a "propaganda video". As of January 25, 2008 the video had been watched 600,000 times. Anonymous escalated their attacks against Scientology on January 25, 2008. In a different video posted to YouTube, Anonymous speaks to the news organizations covering the conflict, and criticizes the media's reporting of the incident.

Criticism

Though it is unclear why anyone would oppose something so inherently incredible as this, Andreas Heldal-Lund, founder of the Scientology-critical website and non-profit organization, Operation Clambake, released a statement criticizing the digital assault against Scientology. Heldal-Lund commented "People should be able to have easy access to both sides and make up their own opinions. Freedom of speech means we need to allow all to speak -- including those we strongly disagree with."

The church briefly responded to the attacks claiming they where misguided. In a January 25, 2008 statement made to News.com.au A spokesman for the Church of Scientology said "These types of people have got some wrong information about us."

See also

• List of Internet phenomena
• Scientology and the Internet

References

• 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)
• The Daily Telegraph staff (January 16, 2008). "Tom Cruise scientology video leaked on the internet: We've always known Tom Cruise is a bit looney, but his latest scientology propaganda video leaked on the internet crosses the line into the downright creepy". The Daily Telegraph. News Limited. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• Richards, Johnathan (January 25, 2008). "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". 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)
• 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)
• 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)
• United Press International (January 25, 2008). "Hackers target Scientology". Earthtimes. Earthtimes.org. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• 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)
• Vamosi, Robert (January 25, 2008). "Anonymous steps up its war with 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)
• 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)

External Links

• YouTube declaration
• Official Blog
• Douglas, Nick (January 21, 2008). "Why Kids On The Internet Are Scientology's Most Powerful Enemy". Gawker.com. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• NBC11 Staff (January 24, 2008). "Group Wants To Destroy Scientology, Video: 'We Do Not Forgive' - An anonymous group of hackers, fittingly known as "Anonymous," has declared war on the Church of Scientology". KNTV. NBC Universal, Inc. Retrieved 2008-01-25. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) (NBC News broadcast.)