astroturfing

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).

   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!".