UsenetCabal

A supposedly mythical organisation which apparently moderated all groups and generally controlled the whole of Usenet newsgroup traffic; any direct mention of them is generally followed by the abbreviation TINC - There Is No CabaL?. The word CabaL? has something to do with some French courtiers (can someone who actually knows please fill the details in here?). After this theory was publicised (and largely refuted), many 'Cabals' sprung up throughout Usenet, like the LspaceCabal? (TINC) of AltFanPratchett? (which is an actual organisation, but any mention of it still has the negative acronym appended).