Since the last one got deleted I'm making a new one.
I think this is important.
"Astroturfing is the practice of masking the sponsors of a message or organization to make it appear as though it originates from and is supported by grassroots participants. It is a practice intended to give the statements or organizations credibility by withholding information about the source's financial connection."
"The term "astroturfing" was first coined in 1985 by Texas Democratic Party senator Lloyd Bentsen when he said, "a fellow from Texas can tell the difference between grass roots and AstroTurf... this is generated mail."[13][40] Bentsen was describing a "mountain of cards and letters" sent to his office to promote insurance industry interests."
" The New York Times reported that "consumer" reviews are more effective, because "they purport to be testimonials of real people, even though some are bought and sold just like everything else on the commercial Internet."[16] Some organizations feel that their business is threatened by negative comments, so they may engage in astroturfing to drown them out."
" Data mining expert Bing Liu (University of Illinois) estimated that one-third of all consumer reviews on the Internet are fake."
" Another technique is the use of sockpuppets, where a single person creates multiple identities online to give the appearance of grassroots support. Sockpuppets may post positive reviews about a product, attack participants that criticize the organization, or post negative reviews and comments about competitors, under fake identities.[17][28] Astroturfing businesses may pay staff based on the number of posts they make that are not flagged by moderators.[23] Persona management software may be used so that each paid poster can manage five to seventy convincing online personas without getting them confused."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing
If anyone has more sources please add.