2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
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astroturfing
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2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
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n. 1. The use of paid shills to create the impression of a popular movement,
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through means like letters to newspapers from soi-disant concerned citizens
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, paid opinion pieces, and the formation of grass-roots lobbying groups that
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are actually funded by a PR group (AstroTurf is fake grass; hence the term).
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See also sock puppet , tentacle. 2. What an individual posting to a public
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forum under an assumed name is said to be doing. This term became common
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among hackers after it came to light in early 1998 that Microsoft had
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attempted to use such tactics to forestall the U.S. Department of Justice's
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antitrust action against the company. The maneuver backfired horribly,
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angering a number of state attorneys-general enough to induce them to go
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public with plans to join the Federal suit. It also set anybody defending
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Microsoft on the net for the accusation You're just astroturfing!.
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