When an individual moves past basic courses into formal Church of Scientology membership, the data gathering expands beyond address lines. The central engine of the church is "auditing," a form of spiritual counseling utilizing a rudimentary skin-galvanometer called the E-Meter. During an auditing intake interview and subsequent sessions, the subject is urged to confess hidden moral transgressions, illicit acts, financial improprieties, and deep private thoughts.
Auditors document these admissions in hand-written notes, storing them in specialized records called "Preclear Folders" (PC folders). Church doctrine asserts that auditing notes are sacred ministerial records protected by priest-penitent privilege. As documented in personal accounts, including investigations by outlets like VICE detailing harrowing separations from the church, these files are systematically weaponized if an individual breaks ranks.
Should a member question organizational leadership or express intent to leave, church officials access these files to construct a formal ethics profile. Under the church's documented disconnection policy, leaving members are designated as Suppressive Persons (SPs). Current adherents, including spouses, parents, and children, are instructed to sever all communication with the individual on pain of losing their own spiritual status. The extensive data collected during sign-up and auditing forms the foundational architecture used to locate, pressure, or systematically isolate the departing adherent.
