Editing Scientology (section)

== The Church of Scientology ==

{{Main|Church of Scientology|List of Scientology organizations}}

[[File:Super Power building.jpg|thumb|The [[Super Power Building]] of the FLAG Scientology complex in [[Clearwater, Florida]]]]
The Church of Scientology is headquartered at "[[Gold Base]]" in [[Riverside County, California]], where the highest [[Sea Org]] officials work,{{sfnm|1a1=Urban|1y=2011|1p=10|2a1=Lewis|2a2=Hellesøy|2y=2017|2p=216}} and at "Flag Land Base" in [[Clearwater, Florida]].{{sfn|Thomas|2021|pp=7-8}} The organization operates on a hierarchical and top-down basis,{{sfnm|1a1=Cusack|1y=2009|1pp=394, 397|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=5}} being largely bureaucratic in structure.{{sfn|Dericquebourg|2009|p=177}} It claims to be the only true voice of Scientology.{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=39}}
The internal structure of Scientology organizations is strongly bureaucratic with a focus on statistics-based management.<ref name="GA180" /> Organizational operating budgets are performance-related and subject to frequent reviews.<ref name="GA180" />

By 2011, the organization was claiming over 700 centers in 65 countries.{{sfnm|1a1=Urban|1y=2011|1p=1|2a1=Urban|2y=2012|2p=335}} Smaller centres are called "missions".{{sfn|Lewis|2009b|p=134}} The largest number of these are in the U.S., with the second largest number being in Europe.{{sfn|Rigal-Cellard|2009|p=326}} Missions are established by missionaries, who are referred to as "mission holders".{{sfn|Rigal-Cellard|2009|p=325}} Members can establish a mission wherever they wish but must fund it themselves; the missions are not financially supported by the central organization.{{sfn|Rigal-Cellard|2009|p=327}} Mission holders must purchase all of the necessary material from the central Church of Scientology; as of 2001, the Mission Starter Pack cost $35,000 ({{inflation|US|35000|2001|fmt=eq|r=-2}}).{{sfn|Rigal-Cellard|2009|p=328}}{{inflation/fn|US}}

[[File:Scientology Cross Logo.png|thumb|upright|left|The eight-pointed [[Scientology cross]], one of the symbols created to give Scientology the trappings of a religion.<ref name=Wr13b>{{Cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Wright |title=Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-307-70066-7 |ol=25424776M |page=227 |url=https://archive.org/details/goingclearscient00lawr/page/227/mode/1up?view=theater |quote=There was a deliberate campaign to provide religious cloaking for the church's activities. A Scientology cross was created. Scientology ministers now appeared wearing Roman collars.}}</ref>{{sfn|Beit-Hallahmi|2003}} Urban suggested it was modeled on the eight-pointed cross used by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.{{sfn|Urban|2012|p=352}}]]
Each mission or Org is a corporate entity, established as a licensed franchise, and operating as a commercial company.{{sfnm|1a1=Bromley|1y=2009|1p=98|2a1=Rigal-Cellard|2y=2009|2p=327}} Each franchise sends part of its earnings, which have been generated through beginner-level auditing, to the International Management.{{sfn|Bromley|2009|p=98}} Bromley observed that an entrepreneurial incentive system pervades the organization, with individual members and organizations receiving payment for bringing in new people or for signing them up for more advanced services.{{sfn|Bromley|2009|p=99}} The individual and collective performances of different members and missions are gathered, being called "stats".{{sfn|Bromley|2009|pp=98-99}} Performances that are an improvement on the previous week are termed "up stats"; those that show a decline are "down stats".{{sfn|Lewis|2009b|p=120}} According to leaked tax documents, the Church of Scientology International and Church of Spiritual Technology in the US had a combined $1.7 billion in assets in 2012, in addition to annual revenues estimated at $200 million a year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/church-of-scientology-worth-more-than-12-billion-according-to-new-tax-documents-2014-4|title=Church Of Scientology Worth More Than $1.2 Billion, According To New Tax Docs|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|website=Business Insider}}</ref>

=== Internal organization ===

{{main|Office of Special Affairs|Guardian's Office}}

[[File:Church of Spiritual Technology ranch Creston.jpg|thumb|The [[Church of Spiritual Technology]] (CST) ranch in Creston, California, where Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard spent his last days. The CST symbol is visible within a racetrack.]]
The Sea Org is the organization's primary management unit,{{sfn|Bromley|2009|p=99}} containing the highest ranks in its hierarchy.<ref name="GA180">{{harvnb|Cowan|Bromley|2006|p=180}}</ref> Its members are often recruited from the children of existing Scientologists,{{sfn|Westbrook|2019|p=42}} and sign up to a "billion-year contract" to serve the organization.{{sfnm|1a1=Kent|1y=1999a|1p=7|2a1=Bromley|2y=2009|2p=99|3a1=Urban|3y=2011|3p=36|4a1=Halupka|4y=2014|4p=618}} Kent described that for adult Sea Org members with minor children, their work obligations took priority, damaged parent-child relations, and has led to cases of severe child neglect and endangerment.{{sfn|Kent|1999a|pp=7–11}}

The [[Rehabilitation Project Force]] (RPF) is the Church of Scientology's disciplinary program,{{sfn|Urban|2011|p=10}} where Sea Org members deemed to have seriously deviated from its teachings are placed.{{sfnm|1a1=Kent|1y=1999a|1p=11|2a1=Halupka|2y=2014|2p=618}}<ref name="GA181" /> They will often face a hearing, the "Committee of Evidence", which determines if they will be sent to the RPF.{{sfn|Kent|1999a|pp=11–12}} The RPF operates out of several locations.{{sfn|Kent|1999a|p=11}} It involves a daily regimen of five hours of auditing or studying, eight hours of work, often physical labor, such as building renovation, and at least seven hours of sleep.<ref name="GA181" /> Journalists have condemned RPF practices for violating human rights;{{sfn|Urban|2011|p=10}} and criticized the Scientology organization for placing children as young as twelve into the RPF, engaging them in [[Forced labour|forced labor]] and denying access to their parents, violating [[Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref name="kent"/> The RPF has contributed to characterizations of the organization as a cult.{{sfn|Halupka|2014|p=618}}

The Office of Special Affairs or ''OSA'' (formerly the ''Guardian's Office'') is a department of the Church of Scientology which has been characterized as a non-state [[intelligence agency]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Understanding Scientology | chapter= 12: OSA (Office of Special Affairs) – The Secret CIA of Scientology |first=Margery | last=Wakefield |year=1991 |chapter-url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Library/Shelf/wakefield/us-12.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |via=[[David S. Touretzky]]}}</ref><ref>Cisar, Joe (translator) [https://web.archive.org/web/20040919194149/http://www.lermanet.com/cisar/books/trn1053.htm The Guardian Office (GO)]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Hamburg Regional Office of the German Constitutional Security Agency |url=http://fhh.hamburg.de/stadt/Aktuell/behoerden/inneres/landesamt-fuer-verfassungsschutz/publikationen/pdf-bibliothek/scientology-organisation-pdf,property=source.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614094335/http://fhh.hamburg.de/stadt/Aktuell/behoerden/inneres/landesamt-fuer-verfassungsschutz/publikationen/pdf-bibliothek/scientology-organisation-pdf,property=source.pdf |archive-date=June 14, 2006 |title=Der Geheimdienst der Scientology-Organisation – Grundlagen, Aufgaben, Strukturen, Methoden und Ziele – Zweite Auflage, Stand 06.05.1998}}</ref> It has targeted critics of the organization for "[[dead agent]]" operations, which is mounting [[character assassination]] operations against perceived enemies.<ref name="woods3">{{Cite news|date=9 June 1999
| last = Dyer | first = Clare
|title=Scientologists pay for libel|url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jun/09/claredyer|access-date=2023-01-28|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref>
A 1990 article in the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that in the 1980s the Scientology organization more commonly used private investigators, including former and current Los Angeles police officers, to give themselves a layer of protection in case embarrassing tactics were used and became public.<ref name="On the Offensive Against an Array of Suspected Foes, Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1990" /> The [[International Association of Scientologists]] operates to advance the cause of the Scientology organization and its members across the world.{{sfn|Kent|1999a|p=5}}

=== Promotional material ===

{{See also|Celebrity Centres|Scientology and celebrities}}
[[File:CelebrityCentre.jpg|thumb|right|The Church of Scientology's Celebrity Centre in Hollywood, Los Angeles]]
The Scientology organization employs a range of media to promote itself and attract converts.{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=32}} Hubbard promoted Scientology through a vast range of books, articles, and lectures.{{sfn|Bigliardi|2016|p=665}} It publishes several magazines, including ''Source'', ''Advance'', ''The Auditor'', and ''Freedom''.{{sfn|Lewis|2009a|p=6}} It has established a publishing press, New Era,{{sfnm|1a1=Grünschloß|1y=2009|1p=229|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=51}} and the audiovisual publisher Golden Era.{{sfn| Grünschloß|2009|p=229}} It has also used the Internet for promotional purposes,{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=34}} and employed advertising to attract potential converts, including in high-profile locations such as television ads during the 2014 and 2020 [[Super Bowl]]s.{{sfnm|1a1=Bigliardi|1y=2016|1p=675|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=33}}

The organization has long used celebrities as a means of promoting itself, starting with Hubbard's "Project Celebrity" in 1955 and followed by its first Scientology [[Celebrity Centre]] in 1969.{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=33}} The Celebrity Centre headquarters is in Hollywood; other branches are in Dallas, Nashville, Las Vegas, New York City, and Paris.{{sfn|Westbrook|2019|p=51}} In 1955, Hubbard created a list of 63 celebrities targeted for conversion to Scientology.<ref name="Shaw_telegraph">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3671262/What-do-Tom-Cruise-and-John-Travolta-know-about-Scientology-that-we-dont.html|title=What do Tom Cruise and John Travolta know about Scientology that we don't?|last=Shaw|first=William|date=February 14, 2008|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=June 25, 2009 | location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223012810/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3671262/What-do-Tom-Cruise-and-John-Travolta-know-about-Scientology-that-we-dont.html|url-status=live|archive-date=February 23, 2012}}</ref> Prominent celebrities who have joined the organization include [[John Travolta]], [[Tom Cruise]], [[Kirstie Alley]], [[Nancy Cartwright]], and [[Juliette Lewis]].{{sfnm|1a1=Cusack|1y=2009|1p=389|2a1=Urban|2y=2011|2p=1|3a1=Urban|3y=2012|3p=335|4a1=Westbrook|4y=2019|4p=51}} It uses celebrity involvement to make itself appear more desirable.{{sfn|Cusack|2009|p=396}} Other new religious movements have similarly pursued celebrity involvement such as the [[Church of Satan]], [[Transcendental Meditation]], [[ISKCON]], and the [[Kabbalah Centre]].{{sfn|Cusack|2009|p=396–397}}

=== Social outreach ===
Several Scientology organizations promote the use of Scientology practices as a means to solve social problems. Scientology began to focus on these issues in the early 1970s. The Church of Scientology developed outreach programs that say they aim to fight drug addiction, illiteracy, learning disabilities and criminal behavior. They have been presented to schools, businesses and communities as secular techniques based on Hubbard's writings.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Neusner |first1=Jacob |title=World Religions in America |edition= 4th |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=2009 }}</ref> They have been described as part of the Scientology organization's "war" against the discipline of psychiatry.{{sfn|Lewis|Hellesøy|2017|pp=565–569}} Some critics regard this outreach as merely a public relations exercise.{{sfn|Lewis|2009a|p=9}}

In 1966, the Church of Scientology repackaged Hubbard's theories about drugs into a drug rehabilitation program it calls [[Narconon]], which purports to treat addicts through sweating in a sauna and using other Scientology techniques and processes.{{sfnm|1a1=Andersen|1a2=Wellendorf|1y=2009|1p=155|2a1=Bromley|2y=2009|2p=97|3a1=Lewis|3y=2009a|3p=9}} It has been described as a front group for recruiting into Scientology.<ref name="sunday_times_1">{{Cite news|title=Drugs charity is front for 'dangerous' organisation; Insight; Focus|url=http://www.scientology-lies.com/press/sunday-times/2007-01-07/drugs-charity-is-front-for-dangerous-organisation.html|access-date=20 March 2014|newspaper=[[Sunday Times]]|date=7 January 2007|quote=Narconon's international website claims: "The ministry of health in England [sic] has also directly funded Narconon residential rehabilitation." But the Department of Health denies any knowledge of this. ... Professor Stephen Kent, a Canadian academic who is an authority on Scientology, said: "The connection between Narconon and Scientology is solid. Of course, Scientology tries to get non-Scientologists involved in the programme, but the engine behind the programme is Scientology." ... The British government expressed concern about Narconon as long as eight years ago. A 1998 memo from the Home Office's drug strategy unit warned that the charity had its "roots in the Church of Scientology and (is) not in the mainstream of drug rehabilitation". Tower Hamlets council in east London advises its schools against using Narconon. DrugScope, one of the UK's main drug charities, said: "We feel that the quality of Narconon's information is not objective and non-judgmental. It does not have any credibility." Stephen Shaw, the prisons ombudsman, advised that inmates in British jails should not receive drug education from Narconon because it is so "closely associated with the Church of Scientology".}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Behar|1991}}: "Hubbard's purification treatments are the mainstay of Narconon, a Scientology-run chain of 33 alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers—some in prisons under the name "Criminon"—in 12 countries. Narconon, a classic vehicle for drawing addicts into the cult, now plans to open what it calls the world's largest treatment center, a 1,400-bed facility on an Indian reservation near Newkirk, Okla. (pop. 2,400). At a 1989 ceremony in Newkirk, the Association for Better Living and Education presented Narconon a check for $200,000 and a study praising its work. The association turned out to be part of Scientology itself. Today the town is battling to keep out the cult, which has fought back through such tactics as sending private detectives to snoop on the mayor and the local newspaper publisher."</ref><ref name=dsp91>{{Cite news|title=What Germans think about their Narconon |newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]]|date=21 October 1991 |url=http://www.xenu-directory.net/mirrors/www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/spiegel.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104114205/http://www.xenu-directory.net/mirrors/www.whyaretheydead.net/krasel/spiegel.html |archive-date=November 4, 2012 |access-date=20 March 2014|url-status=usurped |quote=The enterprising Scientology sect increases its profits thanks to the misery of addicts. The cover organization, Narconon, offers drug rehabilitation therapy that, in the opinion of experts and doctors in the field, is not only useless but also dangerous. ... Narconon closely follows the motto of the Scientology sect's founder, Lafayette Ron Hubbard, who died in 1986 at the age of 74. The discoverer of this pseudo-scientific hocus pocus, gave this advice: Make money, make more money, make other people make money. The disciples at Narconon follow this order. It is officially an independent subsidiary of Scientology. The Scientologists have developed countless supposedly humanitarian initiatives around their church. One example is the commission for the violations of psychiatry against human rights. Another is the organization for the furthering of religious tolerance and interhuman relations. In fact all these activities, like the drug rehabilitation program, are only to further the fame and increase the paying followers of the sect.}}</ref> [[Criminon]] is the organization's criminal rehabilitation program.{{sfn|Bromley|2009|p=97}}<ref name="GA182">{{harvnb|Cowan|Bromley|2006|p=182}}</ref> Its [[Applied Scholastics]] program, established in 1972, employs Hubbard's pedagogical methods to help students.{{sfnm|1a1=Andersen|1a2=Wellendorf|1y=2009|1p=155|2a1=Bromley|2y=2009|2p=98}}<ref name="GA183">{{harvnb|Cowan|Bromley|2006|p=183}}</ref> [[The Way to Happiness|The Way to Happiness Foundation]] promotes a moral code written by Hubbard, to date translated into more than 40 languages.<ref name="GA183" /> Narconon, Criminon, Applied Scholastics, and The Way to Happiness operate under the management banner of [[Association for Better Living and Education]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/scientology-campaign-to-push-educational-materials-in-schools/11069666 |title=Scientology's controversial push to enter schools with learning material — including in Australia |date=4 May 2019 |first=Sean |last=Mantesso |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC Online]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Narconon-Misleading-antidrug-program-back-in-5504351.php |title=Narconon: Misleading antidrug program back in public schools |date=May 25, 2014 |first=Nanette |last=Asimov |website=[[San Francisco Chronicle|SFGate.com]] }}</ref>
The [[World Institute of Scientology Enterprises]] (WISE) applies Scientology practices to business management.{{sfn|Kent|1999a|p=4}}<ref name="GA183" /> The most prominent training supplier to make use of Hubbard's technology is [[Sterling Management Systems]].<ref name="GA183" />

[[File:Scientology Volunteer Ministers doing medical work in Haiti 2010.jpg|thumb|A Church Volunteer Minister, wearing distinct yellow clothing, in Haiti in 2010]]

Hubbard devised the [[Volunteer Ministers|Volunteer Minister Program]] in 1973.{{sfn|Cusack|Digance|2009|p=436}} They offer help and counseling to those in distress; this includes the Scientological technique of providing "[[touch assist|assists]]".{{sfn|Cusack|Digance|2009|p=436}} After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City, Volunteer Ministers were on the site of [[Ground Zero]] within hours of the attack;{{sfn|Cusack|Digance|2009|pp=435-436}} they subsequently went to New Orleans after [[Hurricane Katrina]].{{sfn|Urban|2011|p=9}} Accounts of the Volunteer Ministers' effectiveness have been mixed, and touch assists are not supported by scientific evidence.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Winn|first1=Patrick|title=Scientologists are in Nepal trying to 'heal' trauma victims|url=http://www.globalpost.com/article/6550051/2015/05/15/scientologists-are-nepal-trying-heal-trauma-victims|access-date=December 16, 2015|work=Global Post|date=May 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Winn|first1=Patrick|title=Scientology's global disaster squad|url=https://www.minnpost.com/global-post/2011/04/scientology%E2%80%99s-global-disaster-squad|access-date=December 16, 2015|work=MinnPost|date=April 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Peter S. |title=For Tsunami Survivors, A Touch of Scientology (washingtonpost.com) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43291-2005Jan27.html |access-date=February 22, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 28, 2005}}</ref>

In 2010, hundreds of members of the [[Nation of Islam]] attended a Dianetics seminar near the group's Chicago headquarters, where they were introduced to Scientology auditing practices. [[Louis Farrakhan]] subsequently encouraged his followers to study Scientology, telling them that its techniques could help address the struggles of African Americans, and stated that "nobody can lead in our Nation until and unless they become clear." By 2012, according to the Nation of Islam newspaper ''[[The Final Call (newspaper)|The Final Call]]'', more than 1,000 members had been certified as auditors and several thousand others were studying Scientology materials. The Church of Scientology opened new facilities in [[Harlem]] and [[Inglewood, California]], and former officials reported that course costs for Nation members were sometimes reduced, though the Church denied giving special treatment. Farrakhan described the relationship as a "long and beautiful" alliance.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gray |first=Eliza |date=October 5, 2012 |title=Thetans and Bowties |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/108205/scientology-joins-forces-with-nation-of-islam |access-date=2025-09-08 |magazine=The New Republic |issn=0028-6583}}</ref>

=== Responses to opponents ===

{{main|Scientology ethics and justice|Suppressive person|Disconnection (Scientology)|Fair game (Scientology)}}

The Scientology organization regards itself as the victim of media and governmental persecution,{{sfn|Urban|2011|p=2}} and the scholar of religion [[Douglas Cowan]] observed that "claims to systematic persecution and harassment" are part of the internal culture.{{sfn|Cowan|2009|p=68}} In turn, Urban noted the organization has "tended to respond very aggressively to its critics, mounting numerous lawsuits and at times using extralegal means to respond to those who threaten it."{{sfn|Urban|2011|p=2}} The organization has often responded to criticism by [[ad hominem]] attacks.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=446}} Its approach to targeting critics has often generated more negative attention for their organization,{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=30}} with Lewis commenting that it "has proven to be its own worst enemy" in this regard.{{sfn|Lewis|2012|p=140}}

It has a reputation for litigiousness stemming from its involvement in a large number of legal conflicts.{{sfn|Lewis|2012|p=134}} Barrett characterized the organization as "one of the most litigious religions in the world".{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=471}} It has conducted lawsuits against governments, organizations, and individuals, both to counter criticisms made against it and to gain legal recognition as a religion.{{sfn|Richardson|2009|p=283}} J.P. Kumar, who studied the litigation, argued that victory was not always important to the organization; what was important was depleting the resources and energies of its critics.{{sfn|Halupka|2014|p=620}}

=== Suppressive persons and fair game ===

Those deemed hostile to the Church of Scientology, including ex-members, are labeled "[[suppressive person]]s" or SPs.{{sfnm|1a1=Barrett|1y=2001|1p=463|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=30}} Hubbard maintained that 20 percent of the population would be classed as "suppressive persons" because they were truly malevolent or dangerous: "the Adolf Hitlers and the Genghis Khans, the unrepentant murderers and the drug lords".<ref name="GA177">{{harvnb|Cowan|Bromley|2006|p=177}}</ref><ref name="ZP146-147">{{harvnb|Zellner|Petrowsky|1998|pp=146–147}}</ref> If the organization declares that one of its members is an SP, all other members are forbidden from further contact with them, an act it calls "[[disconnection (Scientology)|disconnection]]".{{sfn|Thomas|2021|p=30}} Any member breaking this rule is labeled a "[[potential trouble source]]" (PTS) and unless they swiftly cease all contact they can be labeled an SP themselves.{{sfn|Thomas|2021|pp=30-31}}<ref name="newreli">{{Cite book |author=Bednarowski, Mary Farrell |title=New Religions and the Theological Imagination in America (Religion in North America) |publisher=Indiana University Press |location=Bloomington |year=1995 |page=114 |isbn=978-0-253-20952-8}}</ref>{{r|Bednarowski}}

In an October 1968 letter to members, Hubbard wrote about a policy called "[[Fair game (Scientology)|fair game]]" which was directed at SPs and other perceived threats to the organization.{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=463}}<ref name="urban2008">{{Cite journal|last=Urban|first=Hugh B.|year=2008|title=Secrecy and New Religious Movements: Concealment, Surveillance, and Privacy in a New Age of Information|journal=Religion Compass|volume=2|issue=1|pages=66–83|issn=1749-8171|doi=10.1111/j.1749-8171.2007.00052.x}}</ref> Here he stated that these individuals "may be deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologists. May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed".{{sfnm|1a1=Barrett|1y=2001|1p=463|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=30}} Following strong criticism, the organization said that it formally ended Fair Game a month later, with Hubbard stating that he had never intended "to authorize illegal or harassment type acts against anyone."{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=464}} Critics and some scholarly observers argue that its practices reflect that the policy remains in place.{{sfnm|1a1=Barrett|1y=2001|1p=464|2a1=Thomas|2y=2021|2p=31}} It is "widely asserted" by former members that Fair Game is still employed;{{sfn|Doherty|2014|p=46}} [[Stacy Brooks]], a former member of the internal Office of Special Affairs, stated in court that "practices which were formerly called 'Fair Game' continue to be employed, although the term 'Fair Game' is no longer used."{{sfn|Barrett|2001|p=464}}

Hubbard and his followers targeted many individuals as well as government officials and agencies, including a [[Operation Snow White|program of illegal infiltration]] of the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]] and other [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]] agencies during the 1970s.<ref name="urban2006">Urban, Hugh B. ''Magia sexualis: sex, magic, and liberation in modern Western esotericism'', p. 137. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006. {{ISBN|978-0-520-24776-5}}</ref><ref name="urban2008" /> They also conducted private investigations, [[character assassination]] and [[lawsuit|legal action]] against the organization's critics in the media.<ref name="urban2006" />

The [[Scientology ethics and justice]] system regulates member behavior,<ref name="GA180" /> and [[Scientology ethics and justice#Ethics officer|Ethics officers]] are present in every Scientology organization. Ethics officers ensure "correct application of Scientology technology" and deal with "behavior adversely affecting a Scientology organization's performance", ranging from "errors" and "misdemeanors" to "crimes" and "suppressive acts", as those terms defined by Scientology.<ref name="GA181">{{harvnb|Cowan|Bromley|2006|p=181}}</ref>