Is Scientology breaking the law?

... There's evidence that they are.

Invasion of privacy

Confession is a big part of Scientology. In Scientology, though, confessions are documented in "PC Folders", and the folders are culled for embarassing or illegal episodes that can then be used to blackmail individuals. In addition, Scientologists are subjected to - and charged money for - mandatory "security checks", full of invasive questions about sex, crimes, and negative thoughts about Hubbard and Scientology.

23. In a tape-recorded lecture Hubbard said the following: "all the social machinery people have actually breaks down before direct intention. But the thing that causes difficulty in moving people along this line of methodology, has a great deal to do with the invasion of privacy. I won't call it privacy because that dignifies it. You have to be willing to invade privacy, very definitely ... If you have a hard time invading people's privacy, you'll have a hard time 8-Cing [controlling - "8-C", literally "infinite control"] them into a chair in an HAS Co-audit unit [Hubbard Apprentice Scientologist], first PE [Personal Efficiency Course], and so forth. Because you think they have rights. Nah [sic]! They don't have any rights! What do you mean? What do they have - what has rights? That machinery? Those dramatizations? Those computing circuits? You mean those things have rights? Hah! Pish-pash [sic] ... If you invade this guy's privacy that just walked in, believe me, he walks straight in." (Hubbard, "Second Lecture on Clearing Methodology", 13 May 1959. )

57. Scientologists are periodically subjected to confessional interrogations, where printed lists, sometimes numbering hundreds of questions, are asked (HCOPL The Only Valid Security Check, 22 May 1961). Scientologists pay 200 pounds per hour for these "confessionals" (Advanced Organisation Saint Hill United Kingdom, "Donations Information", March 1992.). Confessional lists are checked with the subject connected to the "E-meter" (Confessional Procedure, HCOB 30 November 1978). Such interrogations are now generally styled "confessionals", "integrity processing" and "eligibility confessionals" but were originally styled "security checks" or "sec checks": "In the early '60s LRH [Hubbard] developed the technology known as Sec Checking. As issued it was used for two purposes: as a general tool to clean up a pc's overts and withholds and as a security tool to detect out-ethics persons and security risks." (Board Technical Bulletin Integrity Processing Series 1 Definitions, 4 December 1972R). In "The Only Valid Security Check", details are requested concerning potential past misdeeds, including: shoplifting, theft, forgery, blackmail, smuggling, drunkenness, burglary, embezzlement, cannibalism, drug addiction, sexual practices and counterfeiting. There are also 21 questions relating to Hubbard, his wife and Scientology (HCOPL The Only Valid Security Check, 22 May 1961). A Scientology "Bulletin" says "The specific details of each misdeed must be gotten." (Board Technical Bulletin Integrity Processing Series 16RA, Integrity Processing Info, 6 June 1968RA).

59. Scientologists can also be subjected to "HCO Confessionals", where they are told that the information they give will not remain confidential: "The second use of Integrity Processing is as an ethics or security measure ... [it] can be done as a straight security action." (Board Technical Bulletin Integrity Processing Series 16RA, Integrity Processing Info, 6 June 1968RA). The same sets of questions are used in both forms of confessional: "The term 'I am not auditing you' only occurs when a Confessional is done for justice reasons. Otherwise the procedure is the same (By 'justice reasons' is meant when a person is refusing to come clean [sic]...) ... A Confessional done for justice reasons is not auditing and the data uncovered is not withheld from the proper authorities." (Confessional Procedure, HCOB 30 November 1978).