Scientology is increasingly under attack on the Internet, where critics and dropouts are undermining the church's traditionally tight control of its public image, reports the LA Times. Three ex-Scientologists, including the niece of the church's head, launched ExScientologyKids.com last week. Its motto: "We were born. We grew up. We escaped."
A group of hackers and activists called Anonymous, incensed by the church's effort to remove a Tom Cruise pro-Scientology video from the Internet, picketed Scientology locations around the globe last month and has staged cyber-attacks on church websites. The church calls members of Anonymous "cyber-terrorists" and says they're spreading "religious hatred and bigotry." (More Scientology stories.)