AstroTurfing

From Techrights

Current revision

AstroTurfing is the practice by which a company pretends to have a following but actually fakes it.

Posts on the subject:

• Consumer Watchdog (AstroTurfing Group)
• Astroturfing Examples: Learning How Microsoft Tames the Internet

2007

• Manipulation, Astroturfing, and What Governments Can Do

2008

• Beware the OOXML AstroTurfer: “The Wraith”, “multivac1”, “hAl”, Among Other Nyms
• Microsoft May Have Bribed India for OOXML Pressure
• Microsoft Has Been Rigging Votes/Polls for Ages
• LawMedia Group May be Another Confirmed Microsoft AstroTurfing Agency
• The Microsoft Connection with Dewey Square Group and DCI/New Media
• Microsoft ‘Bribes’ Mac Bloggers to Slam Apple, Gartner Hosts Google FUD
• Microsoft, TCS, DCI, Edelman, and Those Fake Letters About IP/SCO/Monopoly
• James Plamondon: Microsoft Guerrilla
• FullSIX and Mr. Youth LLC May Be Ruining the Web (AstroTurfing) on Microsoft’s Behalf
• Microsoft: 800 lb. Guerrilla
• Waggener Edstrom, Maureen O’Gara and Other Microsoft Shills
• Partial Index: Summary of Bribed Sites, Journalists, and Bloggers (Vista 7)
• Waggener-Edstrom Behind the 2008 Laptop Bribes, Edelman Behind 2006’s
• Former Microsoft Shill Openly Confesses, Alleges Microsoft Still Does This
• Respecting AstroTurfers?
• Some New (But Very Old) Microsoft AstroTurfing Examples
• Joe Barr, Linux.com Editor - My Obituary
• Joe Barr Knew Microsoft’s Tactics All Too Well
• Microsoft/Munchkin ‘Breaks’ the Web to Break Open Document Standards (Again)
• Rob Enderle Guarantees “Amazing Numbers”, Show E-mails to Microsoft

2009

• Gary M. Stewart (aka “Flatfish”) About Microsoft AstroTurfing: “It’s made me A LOT of money….
• 66 Pages of Microsoft Evilness
• Another AstroTurf Scam Exposed?

2010

• New AstroTurfing from Microsoft Philippines, Increased Pressure on Businesses
• AstroTurfing for Vista 7 Still Alive
• Microsoft MVPs Nymshifting, Pretending to be Other Gender, Accepting Bribes, and Libeling GNU/Linux Users
• Microsoft PR Presented as ‘News’
• Microsoft Partners Hail Microsoft Without Disclosure, More AstroTurfing
• Apple Lies About “Open Source” (and More on Apple/Microsoft AstroTurfing)
• Microsoft AstroTurf May be Linked to the Notorious “Dr. Evil” (Richard Berman) or Grassroots Enterprise
• How Microsoft/Proprietary Software Bullies Ruined Digg for GNU/Linux
• Microsoft Employees Push Vista Phone 7 {sic} in Twitter, Without Disclosure

2011

• The Partly Microsoft-Owned Facebook is Doing Microsoft’s Dirty Job With Microsoft’s PR Firm
• Microsoft and Nokia Caught AstroTurfing, Abusing/Attacking Genuine Posters

2012

• Apple Whitewashing With Anti-Google AstroTurf Firm
• Microsoft is AstroTurfing for Vista 8
• Vista 8 AstroTurfing Not Enough, Other Tactics Used

2013

• Microsoft Crime Persists: AstroTurfing a Regular Practice, Reddit Full of Paid Microsoft AstroTurfers
• Microsoft Talking Points Planted by Microsoft Staff in the Geek Press
• John Dvorak Complains About Microsoft AstroTurfing Intended to Shape Vista 8 Perceptions
• Microsoft Takes AstroTurfing to New Levels, Co-opting Grassroots and Bribing People

2014

• Microsoft Caught AstroTurfing Again, But Is Criminal Prosecution Imminent? (Unlikely)
• Federal Trade Commission Should Launch Legal Action Against Microsoft Over Bribes to Bloggers in Exchange for Coverage

2015

• Caution Needed When Microsoft Copywriters Flood the Media With Microsoft Propaganda

Other related pages:

• Plamondon on schmoozing the Computing Society

This list is very incomplete, but some of the above cross-references other examples.