It was the Internet that did it to them. In a centralized environment where they could threaten publishers and TV producers, they could be successful in keeping a lid on negative info about them.
Once the Internet had every pissed off victim able to publish his or her story, there were just too many targets to keep up with. Their heavy-handed attempts to censor information about them then managed to piss off a bunch of computer nerds with nothing better to do than bring down wrath upon Scientology's heads (see "weaponized autism").
Once the Internet had every pissed off victim able to publish his or her story, there were just too many targets to keep up with.
Very true. They also lost the courts as a tool to silence critics, as over time, they were increasingly litigating against former church staff who had massive amounts of insider dirt to spill in front of judges and juries.
In more and more of those cases, they were forced to settle out of court, rather than allow their crimes and injustices to go into the public record. Ex members are now defying the non disclosure agreements they signed with the church, and are daring them to file suit.
The fear is gone.