The problem of astroturfing, fabricated campaigns in support of a cause or product, is escalating, casting a shadow over the Public relations profession and prompting an industry debate on how to root it out.
The emergence of Web2.0 in particular has precipitated the increase, with lobbyists and unscrupulous PR agencies making use of anonymous identities to manipulate perception in favour of their own self-interests.
No-one knows how exactly widespread the practice is, as we only become aware of it when the plot backfires and the perpetrators get caught in the act.
But the number of cases where the practice has been uncovered has surged in recent months, which suggests that the astroturfers are out peddling their misinformation in force.
Just last month, Greenpeace exposed a phoney campaign whereby American oil workers posed as protestors against proposed climate change regulations being reviewed by US legislators.
Another high-profile case involved John Mackey, CEO of US grocer Whole Foods, who had been discovered blogging on a Yahoo Finance forum under the fake guise of a consumer championing the company.
The last year has seen a spate of online astroturfing misdemeanours, where companies have posted fictional reviews about their products, involving sock puppets or fake online identities designed to create seemingly unbiased support for a cause.
The immediately obvious solution is to promote more transparency by prohibiting anonymous comments. But one of the benefits of anonymity is that people are more inclined to express their true thoughts and opinions when their identities are not tied to them.
So by removing the right to anonymity, you take away the voice that Web2.0 has given to so many people.
The solution likely rests with the owners of blogs, online forums and review sites themselves, who should endeavour to put procedures in place to help mediators spot an astroturfing rat when they see one.
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