astroturfing

n. 1. The use of paid shills to create the impression of a popular movement,
through means like letters to newspapers from soi-disant concerned citizens
, paid opinion pieces, and the formation of grass-roots lobbying groups that
are actually funded by a PR group (AstroTurf is fake grass; hence the term).
See also sock puppet , tentacle. 2. What an individual posting to a public
forum under an assumed name is said to be doing. This term became common
among hackers after it came to light in early 1998 that Microsoft had
attempted to use such tactics to forestall the U.S. Department of Justice's
antitrust action against the company. The maneuver backfired horribly,
angering a number of state attorneys-general enough to induce them to go
public with plans to join the Federal suit. It also set anybody defending
Microsoft on the net for the accusation You're just astroturfing!.

