Mike Rinder, the publication of OT VIII was a watershed moment in Scientology's history. The response by early participants who balked at its claims and left the organization as a result resembled the response to OT III when it was released. The church revised it into its current form after apologists were not able to stop the wave of departures it was causing. Its publication also coincided with the arrival of the Internet, which presented new challenges for the church. Vexatious litigation had been effective at preventing publishers from disseminating information critical of Scientology to the public, but the World Wide Web made it possible for individuals to publish information without needing a publisher. That information could then be seen by anyone with internet access. Departures accelerated as a result, and the church responded by increasingly isolating itself from the public. Rinder also stated that this marked the beginning of the policy of disconnection being used punitively as punishment for Scientologists who leave the church. This produced a culture of "captive" Scientologists: members that remain not because they are faithful to the tenets, but because they fear their families being broken up by disconnection if they leave the church. Background Founder's death L. Ron Hubbard died from a stroke on January 24, 1986, the church announced to the media. He had not been seen publicly since May 1980. Several weeks later, his death was announced to parishioners by David Miscavige, who stated that Hubbard had completed all of his research into the OT I-VIII levels, but researching the remaining levels (IX-XV) can only be done "outside the body". Because his body had become an "encumbrance" to continuing his research, Hubbard discarded it and would return to the church after completing his research to deliver the remaining OT levels. According to Mike Rinder, the promise of more OT levels has motivated parishioners to continue retaking the same courses (I-VIII) repeatedly to prepare for the new levels to be revealed when Hubbard returns. The last OT level that Hubbard completed before his death was OT VIII, which was being collated and would be released to select Scientologists starting in the summer of 1988. Biographies about Hubbard Two posthumous biographies were published about Hubbard in 1987: Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard by Russell Miller, and L. Ron Hubbard: Madman or Messiah? by L. Ron Hubbard Jr., Hubbard's son. Miller