Plus a little bit of radio and TV. Part of Ron Newman's "The Church of Scientology vs. the Net".

Judge rules that Dr. David Minkoff illegally prescribed Valium and chloral hydrate to Lisa McPherson at the behest of fellow Scientologists, and recommends a $10,000 fine and one-year license suspension. [Tampa Tribune]

The National Mental Health Association accuses the Church of Scientology of attempting to recruit members under the guise of providing mental health counseling after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. [Associated Press]

Since Scientology has taken over the old Cult Awareness Network, parents have contacted human rights group TranceNet with horror stories. CAN is now merely a front group for Scientology.

The Church of Scientology alleged that an anonymous comment violated their copyright. Under the terms of the DMCA, Slashdot was forced to remove the offending post--but listed links to many anti-Scientology sites. Readers responded with more than 1500 comments. [Slashdot]

Ron Hubbard was dead but the Scientologists were still out to make their mark on the world. Starting with unauthorized biographer Russell Miller. [Punch]

On October 23, 1996 the law firm which has represented the Church of Scientology for years purchased the logo and license agreement of the Cult Awareness Network (CAN).

Although anyone can buy an e-meter, eBay has yanked auctions of e-meters after the Church of Scientology claimed that copyright protection applies to the devices under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. [Slashdot]

The most comprehensive video coverage of Scientology on the Web, in RealVideo format. Some radio broadcasts, in RealAudio format. Archive of newspaper and magazine articles from the 1950s to the present.

Jurors in a misdemeanor case against Jesse Prince, a critic of the Church of Scientology, were unable to reach a verdict after some on the panel suspected the church had set him up. The vote was deadlocked at 4-2 in favor of acquittal. [Associated Press]

Scientology is locked in an international legal war to remove copies of their super-secret "scriptures" from the Internet, obtaining federal court orders to raid and confiscate the homes and offices of four of their most vocal critics. [The Watchman Expositor]

An anti-Scientology activist claims that the church made him an offer he had to refuse: $12 million. [Westword]

A web of intrigue surrounds the high-stakes legal brawl between FACTnet and the Church of Scientology. [Westword]

In the online brawl over Scientology, Internet users discover that virtual reality bites back. [Westword]

Geek paradise Slashdot has taken the unprecedented step of removing a post which contained text allegedly copyrighted by the "Church" of Scientology, after receiving threats from Hubbard Space Command shysters citing the dreaded Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). [The Register]

Readers discuss Microsoft's decision to provide instructions to Germans on how to remove defrag from Win2K because the software developer's CEO is a Scientologist. The security risk is no joke. [Slashdot]

Tom Jarriel talks with both insiders and critics, but Scientology comes off looking very bad. Transcript. [ABC 20/20]

Lev L'Achim's Anti-Cult Department attempts to close a school opened by the cult of Scientology in Tel Aviv. The Education Ministry officially announced that the school will never be licensed, and that parents who send their children there are violating the Law of Compulsory Education. [Dei'ah veDibur]

Third-generation Scientologist, disillusioned, broke away from the Church of Scientology. In turn, they declared her father a "suppressive person" and tried to paint her as an extortionist. [San Francisco Chronicle]

The self-styled addiction "experts" at Scientology front group Narconon stole graphics, navigation, stylesheets, layout, code, everything, from a popular rave web site. . . and added a rat-on-your-friends form. [The Register]

The cult of Scientology is dangerous to the human mind, harmful to one's pocketbook, and uses deception to violate laws against forced religious conversion. [Dei'ah veDibur]

Feature story concentrates on Keith Henson's misdemeanor conviction for picketing Scientology, and airs the belief that the Church of Scientology considers critics and ex-members to be "fair game" for harassment and injury. [L.A. Weekly]

Article based on several interviews with Jesse Prince, former Inspector General of Scientology's Religious Technology Center, who says that when he tried to escape, he was kidnapped and forcibly detained. [Battle Creek Enquirer]

The Florida Board of Medicine suspends Scientologist Dr. David I. Minkoff's medical license for one year, and furthermore rules that he is on probation for two years after that. [Associated Press]

Church of Scientology International threatens to sue two sites critical of it, on grounds of alleged trademark and copyright violations. [CNET news.com]

The Church of Scientology has been charged with abuse of civil liberties and attempted fraud, in the first French court case against the organisation rather than its individual members. [The Guardian]

Google reinstated a link to an anti-Scientology site after coming under fire from free speech advocates. [Silicon.com]

Google now refuses to accept paid advertising for sites critical of Scientology. They are willing to accept payment from the Church of Scientology, however. [Microcontent News]

Profile of Jeff Jacobsen, a critic of Scientology. [Phoenix New Times]

Earle Cooley is chairman of Boston University's board of trustees. He's also made a career out of keeping L. Ron Hubbard's secrets, by raiding critics and suing journalists. [Boston Phoenix]

Search engine Google is posting "takedown" letters from lawyers wielding the DMCA. The move is thought to be a response to criticism of their censoring xenu.net at the behest of Scientology. [Linux Journal]

Responding to customer criticism, Amazon.com said it will restore a book critical of Scientology to its list of available titles. [CNET News.com]

Google's reputation for meaningful search results and targeted text ads took a nosedive among its fans when the search engine kowtowed to Scientology and refused ads from critics. [Tech Central Station]

After protests, Google restored xenu.net's main page, but none of the subpages. The search engine's decision to publish the DMCA complaints, with URLs, is a smart move. [infoAnarchy]

In 1986, a jury awarded Lawrence Wollersheim damages in a suit he filed against the Church of Scientology. Sixteen years later, Scientology officials finally wrote a check to end the case. [Associated Press]

Thought to be the first time the Church of Scientology has paid a judgement to an ex-member. Lawrence Wollersheim sued, claiming mental abuse by the church, and won. [Reuters]

The Church of Scientology has been ordered to pay 6 million euros in damages to a former member who claimed they pushed him to the brink of suicide. [The Daily Record]

After a vicious 22-year legal battle, the Church of Scientology finally paid Lawrence Wollersheim $8.7 million they owed him from a lawsuit judgment. [Kuro5hin]

Private detectives employed by Scientology law firm Moxon & Kobrin trailed critic Jesse Prince for months before succeeding in getting him arrested. [Tampa Tribune]

Search engine straddles the fence, both giving in to the demands of the "vicious and dangerous cult" and furnishing the text of the complaints to an anti-DMCA site. [Silicon.com]

Warns college students about the deceptive cult of Scientology, a greedy corporation which is almost the exact opposite of a religion. [Daily Cougar]

A toll-free number which appeared for several hours on Fox News in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon offered "mental health assistance." Viewers were not told that the phone number was a Church of Scientology call center. [St. Petersburg Times]

Editorial. In the Jesse Prince case, the Church of Scientology proved once again just how far it would go to investigate, smear, intimidate, and--if possible--destroy critics. [St. Petersburg Times]

German official Ursula Caberta reports that in her country, Scientology is viewed as "a new kind of political extremism." [St. Petersburg Times]

The transit authority limits ads to "commercial transactions" after anti-Scientology messages draw church protest. [St. Petersburg Times]

The transit agency is examining its policies after anti-Scientology ads were posted on county buses in December, sparking a legal debate. [St. Petersburg Times]

Greta Van Susteren and her husband, John Coale, rub shoulders with notables in the nation's capital, they involve themselves in controversial legal cases, they like Florida living. But you rarely hear them speak of their religion, Scientology. [St. Petersburg Times]

Scientologists say side panels on the buses carried ads attacking their church, violating state law. [St. Petersburg Times]

The Church of Scientology has completed the latest in a series of land purchases that will help clear the way for its downtown expansion project. [St. Petersburg Times]

The German government is examining whether a utility developed by a Scientologist would prohibit public agencies from installing Windows 2000. [Wired]

Officials are investigating whether the country's restrictions on Scientology might affect Windows 2000. How? Part of the software technology is provided by a company with links to the church. [Wired]

Journalist who was invited to a birthday bash for L. Ron Hubbard, then disinvited, decides to go anyway, and reports on the long Scientologist pep rally. [Salon.com]

Amazon's snap decision to ban two books in the face of legal threats seemingly contradicts the high-minded free-speech ideals the company often spouts. [Wired]

A book removed from Amazon's site because of alleged legal troubles is now among the top 150 books sold by the online bookstore. [Wired]

Amazon.com, responding to customer complaints, will restore a book pulled from its online catalog to comply with a ban on the publication in the United Kingdom. [Wired]

As Compaq looks to clean up yet one more mess, Amazon offers a textbook example of how to shoot one's self in the foot. [ZDNet News]

Amazon.com has removed a controversial book from its listings, a book well known for angering the Church of Scientology. [Wired]

Company says original ban not a mistake but thanks Netizens for feedback. [ZDNet News]

Is Hollywood on the wrong side in Germany's "Church" vs. state furor? [Salon.com]

Blog of recent news about Scientology, with archive and opportunity for discussion.

The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the Church of Scientology. The ASA ruled that Scientology had not proven its claim to have rescued hundreds of thousands of drug addicts. [Telegraph]

Editorial. In France, in Germany, in the United States, the Church of Scientology has been recognized as a dangerous sect. In dismissing the Justice Ministry's suit, the court has said, in effect, that slavery is perfectly legal in Russia. [Pravda]

The Advertising Standards Authority found that the Scientology poster's claim of "salvaging" drug users included prescription medication, occasional social drinking and environmental toxins as "drug use." [Guardian]

A personal selection of articles from national and local UK press, radio and television concerning L. Ron Hubbard's cult of Scientology.