Who is Anonymous? "Anonymous" is a loosely affiliated group of people who have banded together to protest and otherwise inhibit the Church of Scientology through peaceful, legal means. The group originated on the Internet and is mostly composed of the Internet-savvy, but technical knowledge is not a requirement to be part of Anonymous.

What is the Church of Scientology? The Church of Scientology is an organization that claims to be a religion, but is actually a dangerous cult. It was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard in 1953, and it has continued its illegal and harmful activities ever since. Learn more about the Church of Scientology here.

Why is Anonymous protesting the Church of Scientology? There are a lot of reasons:

• They exploit their members for money relentlessly, often forcing them into debt to pay for their "training." They even place some members into internal prison camps known collectively as the RPF. (Read more about the RPF prison camps.)
  
• They go after their critics viciously, using such tactics as harassing phone calls, physical intimidation, litigation, and violence. This policy is known as "Fair Game." (Read an example of Fair Game in action.)
  
• They force children to work very long hours. (Read examples.)
  
• They pressure their female members, within certain parts of their organization, to have abortions. (Read an affidavit that testifies to this.)
  
• Their methods for treating mental illness and drug addiction are not merely ineffective; they are harmful, and sometimes fatal. (Read an example of this.)
  
• If a Scientologist decides to leave the Church, their family members who remain in the Church are forced to cut off all communication with them. This policy is known as "Disconnection." (There is an entire website devoted to this.)
  

Learn more about our reasons for protesting here.

Who is the leader of Anonymous? Anonymous has no leaders. It is a group of like-minded individuals united by a common cause. Honestly, I think this is one of the things the Church of Scientology finds most puzzling about us; they keep putting out these little publications that claim to have revealed our "true leaders." We don't have any, plain and simple.

The Church of Scientology says you're terrorists. Is that true? No. They say that because they want to make their members afraid of us, to keep them from learning the truth. The truth is that our protests, and indeed all of our activities, are peaceful and lawful. You don't have to take my word on this; do some research for yourself. Read our forums, watch videos of our protests on YouTube, read third-party accounts of those who have witnessed them. We have nothing to hide in this regard.

Has Anonymous engaged in any criminal activities in the past? Unfortunately, at one point in the past, they did. When Anonymous first launched its campaign against the Church of Scientology, certain members undertook a successful denial-of-service attack against the Church's main website. In addition, various Church locations received harassing phone calls and faxes. However, wiser voices prevailed (Mark Bunker being a prime influence) and Anonymous no longer engages in these sorts of activities. Again, don't take my word on this; do some research and find out for yourself.

Where can I learn more about Anonymous? Many more questions about Anonymous are answered here. If you have a question you don't see answered anywhere, e-mail me and I'll be happy to help you out!

How can I join Anonymous? There is no membership list, no application, no initiation ritual. If you want to be part of Anonymous, then you already are. Having said that, the best place to get in tune with the rest of Anonymous is the forums on WhyWeProtest.net. You can also get involved in a protest or one of our other projects.