Astroturfing
Public relations tactic using fake grassroots movements / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the type of advocacy. For the artificial grass, see AstroTurf.
Astroturfing is the deceptive practice of hiding the sponsors of a orchestrated message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious, or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from, and is supported by, unsolicited grassroots participants. It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations credibility by withholding information about the source's financial backers.
The implication behind the use of the term is that instead of a "true" or "natural" grassroots effort behind the activity in question, there is a "fake" or "artificial" appearance of support.