No more disclosure of unit closings. "Temple Rick" has been shut down!

https://ldschurchtemples.org/statistics/units/

Why does a real church need a legal department ?

Yup. Why did Joseph seek copyright for his restored gospel?

Click the word "statistics" on the sidebar on the left and it shows up. 2017 year-end statistics.

Nope,

There was FAR more information there, including a running list of individual stakes, wards and branches open and closed in all the world, which was updated on a near daily basis. What you are referring to is the small bit of statistics there that the Church officially released last week during General Conference. The Church obviously doesn't want the unsuspected masses knowing this often times not faith promoting information.

If you hit the statistcs link, it says that. But if you click the temple link and then go back to statistics, the information is back.

Will they be closing down cumorah.com?

I hope not, that site is one of the few that give the LDS credit.

At the bottom it says "A Labor of Love by Rick Satterfield of Pocatello, Idaho". Well, as a non mormon, I appreciate his efforts.

Could it be that the church originally published lies there? The church legal department would then request that the lies be removed to protect the church from potential lawsuits.

I don't think the church published the web site.

But the church will hunt down and harass people without a thought. They'll claim they are using/posting church copyright material without permission.

Facts, like unit names and numbers aren't copywritable. Seems more that these websites were cowed by the legalese or run by menbers in good standing.