<s>
Cybersectarianism	B-Application
is	O
the	O
phenomenon	O
of	O
new	O
religious	O
movements	O
and	O
other	O
groups	O
using	O
the	O
Internet	O
for	O
text	O
distribution	O
,	O
recruitment	O
,	O
and	O
information	O
sharing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cybersectarianism	B-Application
as	O
an	O
organizational	O
form	O
involves	O
:	O
"	O
highly	O
dispersed	O
small	O
groups	O
of	O
practitioners	O
that	O
may	O
remain	O
largely	O
anonymous	O
within	O
the	O
larger	O
social	O
context	O
and	O
operate	O
in	O
relative	O
secrecy	O
,	O
while	O
still	O
linked	O
remotely	O
to	O
a	O
larger	O
network	O
of	O
believers	O
who	O
share	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
practices	O
and	O
texts	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
a	O
common	O
devotion	O
to	O
a	O
particular	O
leader	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Transnational	O
Chinese	O
cybersects	B-Application
include	O
the	O
group	O
commonly	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
as	O
Falun	O
Gong	O
( 法轮功	O
)	O
,	O
Zhong	O
Gong	O
( 中华养生益智功	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Taiwan-based	O
group	O
founded	O
by	O
Suma	O
Ching	O
Hai	O
,	O
commonly	O
referred	O
to	O
in	O
the	O
PRC	O
as	O
Guanyin	O
Famen	O
( 观音法门	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
rendered	O
in	O
English	O
by	O
the	O
Ching	O
Hai	O
World	O
Society	O
as	O
Quan	O
Yin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
new	O
transnational	O
Protestant	O
groups	O
also	O
subjected	O
to	O
persecution	O
in	O
the	O
PRC	O
,	O
like	O
Eastern	O
Lightning	O
,	O
have	O
likewise	O
taken	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
to	O
ensure	O
group	O
survival	O
,	O
and	O
taken	O
on	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
characteristics	O
of	O
cybersects	B-Application
elsewhere	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
New	O
Cyberreligious	O
Movements	O
(	O
NCRMs	O
)	O
described	O
by	O
Karaflogka	O
,	O
cybersect	B-Application
participants	O
rely	O
upon	O
computer	O
mediated	O
communication	O
(	O
CMC	O
)	O
in	O
their	O
personal	O
religious	O
or	O
spiritual	O
practice	O
,	O
performing	O
cyberpilgrimages	O
,	O
participating	O
in	O
cybermeditation	O
sessions	O
online	O
,	O
and/or	O
cyberevangelism	O
in	O
third-party	O
chatrooms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
cybersect	B-Application
members	O
of	O
groups	O
,	O
including	O
Aum	O
Shinrikyo	O
and	O
al	O
Qaeda	O
,	O
engage	O
in	O
"	O
repertoires	O
of	O
electronic	O
contention	O
,	O
"	O
using	O
websites	O
and	O
e-mail	O
to	O
mobilize	O
participants	O
for	O
protest	O
and	O
contention	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
hactivism	O
(	O
acts	O
of	O
electronic	O
disruption	O
)	O
and	O
even	O
cyberterrorism	O
(	O
acts	O
of	O
physical	O
harm	O
caused	O
by	O
the	O
disruption	O
of	O
power	O
grids	O
,	O
traffic	O
control	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
systems	O
of	O
resource	O
delivery	O
and	O
public	O
safety	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
recently	O
,	O
Sunni	O
-	O
and	O
Shia	O
-	O
affiliated	O
hackers	O
have	O
attacked	O
and	O
counter-attacked	O
hundreds	O
of	O
websites	O
in	O
a	O
vast	O
struggle	O
over	O
cyberspace	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
characterized	O
as	O
an	O
outbreak	O
of	O
cybersectarianism	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Dru	O
C	O
.	O
Gladney	O
describes	O
how	O
Muslim	O
netizens	O
in	O
the	O
Chinese	O
province	O
of	O
Xinjiang	O
have	O
turned	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
to	O
explore	O
and	O
express	O
their	O
desires	O
for	O
independence	O
with	O
the	O
broader	O
,	O
transnational	O
Uyghur	O
communities	O
,	O
culminating	O
in	O
what	O
Gladney	O
describes	O
as	O
a	O
groundswell	O
of	O
"	O
cyber-separatism.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
taken	O
to	O
the	O
airwaves	O
and	O
posted	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
,	O
divisive	O
sectarian	O
language	O
among	O
Catholic	O
and	O
Protestant	O
residents	O
of	O
post-agreement	O
Northern	O
Ireland	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
described	O
as	O
an	O
outbreak	O
of	O
cybersectarianism	B-Application
by	O
Ballymena-born	O
BBC	O
reporter	O
,	O
Declan	O
Lawn	O
,	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cultural	O
theorist	O
Paul	O
Virilio	O
likewise	O
described	O
the	O
San	O
Diego-based	O
UFO	O
religious	O
group	O
Heaven	O
's	O
Gate	O
as	O
a	O
cybersect	B-Application
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
group	O
's	O
heavy	O
reliance	O
on	O
CMC	O
as	O
a	O
mode	O
of	O
communication	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
group	O
's	O
1997	O
collective	O
suicide	O
;	O
while	O
Rita	O
M	O
.	O
Hauck	O
of	O
Fort	O
Hays	O
University	O
considers	O
"	O
cybersect	B-Application
"	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
new	O
but	O
widely	O
used	O
term	O
that	O
"	O
implies	O
cyborgs	O
or	O
cybernauts	O
with	O
a	O
collaborative	O
agenda	O
.	O
</s>
