Astroturfing is the 21st century’s version of false advertising

New York State Attorney General
Eric T. Schneiderman

Said Eric Schneiderman, New York Attorney General, on Sept. 23, 2013, while announcing that it had snared and fined 19 companies for flooding the Internet with fake consumer reviews on websites such as Yelp, Google Local, and CitySearch. These companies have agreed to cease their practice of writing fake online reviews and pay more than $350,000 in penalties.

"Operation Clean Turf," a year-long undercover investigation project undertaken by the Attorney General's office found that many of these companies used techniques to hide their identities, such as creating fake online profiles on consumer review websites and paying freelance writers from as far away as the Philippines, Bangladesh and Eastern Europe for $1 to $10 per review. By producing fake reviews, these companies violated multiple state laws against false advertising and engaged in illegal and deceptive business practices.

In a press release, Attorney General Schneiderman said : "This investigation into large-scale, intentional deceit across the Internet tells us that we should approach online reviews with caution. And companies that continue to engage in these practices should take note: "Astroturfing" is the 21st century's version of false advertising, and prosecutors have many tools at their disposal to put an end to it."

According to a recent Gartner study, by 2014, 10-15 percent of social media reviews will be fake and paid for by companies. “With over half of the Internet's population on social networks, organizations are scrambling for new ways to build bigger follower bases, generate more hits on videos, garner more positive reviews than their competitors and solicit ‘likes’ on their Facebook pages,” said . “Many marketers have turned to paying for positive reviews with cash, coupons and promotions including additional hits on YouTube videos in order to pique site visitors' interests in the hope of increasing sales, customer loyalty and customer advocacy through social media ‘word of mouth’ campaigns.”

According to Wikipedia, astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message (e.g. political, advertising, or public relations) to give the appearance of it coming from a disinterested, grassroots participant. The term astroturfing is a derivation of AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to look like natural grass. On the Internet, astroturfers use software to mask their identity. Sometimes one individual operates over many personas to give the impression of widespread support for their client's agenda.