:: April 17, 2003 :: "Cult" spamming on the Internet The devoted followers of a controversial guru in New York City are apparently engaged in an ongoing Internet spamming campaign. Guru Sri Chinmoy, often called a "cult leader," has been the subject of repeated allegations of abuse made by his former followers. Most recently some say that the supposedly celibate spiritual leader exploited them sexually. This disturbing information has been posted on websites and within discussion groups. But it seems that Chinmoy's devotees, in an effort to suppress that information and/or anything critical about their beloved guru, are now spamming search engines and weblogs to swamp search results. One blogger claimed, "This would appear to be a sinister cult organization abusing Weblogs.com to generate traffic for their propaganda." If you enter "Sri Chinmoy" on Google the result is largely a litany of "propaganda" links. This means that Web users will largely see what Chinmoy and his followers want seen. The guru has a reputation as something of a narcissistic media hound and appears willing to pull almost any stunt to gain press attention. This has included outlandish claims, such as his ability to lift 200 sheep simultaneously. But Mr. Chinmoy doesn't like negative attention. So despite the growing presence of critical reports about him on the Internet, that information is seemingly being suppressed through the "sinister" use of spamming. The guru once had a celebrity or two involved in his group, which included musician Carlos Santana. But the multiple Grammy winner walked away and later said in a Rolling Stone interview, "Everything about [Chinmoy] turned to vinegar." And added that after he left, the group became "vindictive." Well, it looks like the guru and his group are still "vindictive" and now they are turning out their "vinegar" on the Internet. [Posted by Rick Ross at 10:39 AM][Link] ... « Bakker back on TV | Main | Iraqi PR honcho draws a "cult following" »