Straight out of a dystopian movie, this clip shows a group of people cheering the unveiling of one of 33 speed cameras that went live in #SanFrancisco #sfba this week.

I think these cameras are a giveaway to the supplier. It’s very difficult to find out how much these cameras cost, but it appears to be around $50k per camera per year, or $8M for a five-year pilot period hxxps://banthecams.org/posts/2024/12/29/san-francisco-speed-cameras/. They are operated by Verra Mobility (Redflex). If the city really wants to slow cars down, there are other traffic-calming techniques that are much cheaper in the long run.

I’ve also found it distasteful that WalkSF has been continually promoting these speed cameras under the guise of “pedestrian safety”, while having events sponsored by Verra Mobility. Smells super astroturfy to me. hxxps://www.instagram.com/walksf/p/C-_SnX9SGnO

Video source: hxxps://www.instagram.com/reel/DHbvRDwSjpd/

If #astroturfing in the Fediverse is a sign of its growing importance, then we're on a good track.

Check out the fusionenergy hashtag. All identical/very similar posts hyping fusion energy, all coming from social.freysa.ai. And the accounts' avatars are all the same style. Interesting.

My timeline just got bombed by very similar posts from various accounts using the hashtags #Sustainability #innovation all promoting the use of nuclear power for AI and data centers run by the tech giants.

It seems like an #astroturfing #greenwashing campaign right here on Mastodon.

Nuclear energy is not sustainable.

I’ll block any account that seeems to be part of this.

"Internal record shows #Canada’s second largest oil and gas producer donated to organizations that deny #ClimateChange is an emergency and question emissions goals."

https://www.desmog.com/2025/01/30/cenovus-funded-grassroots-groups-that-oppose-climate-laws-document-reveals/
#Astroturfing #ClimateDenial

→ I Ditched the Algorithm for RSS—and You Should Too
https://joeyehand.com/blog/2025/01/15/i-ditched-the-algorithm-for-rssand-you-should-too/

“[P]latforms [are] built for engagement, not efficiency. Instead of showing you high-quality posts upfront, they pad your feed with #memes, #spam, and #astroturfing.”

“#RSS is like your youtube #subscription #feed in hyperdrive. Subscribe to sites you love and decide what shows up — no exploitative social media #algorithm needed. No more #ads or algorithms deciding how to keep you #doomscrolling.”

#BCPoli campaign season just started and there's a noticeable uptick in #astroturfing of "safety concerns" on several BC city-focused subreddits.

It's messed up that this works so well. Being afraid/disgusted of a short visit to downtown is such an unreasonably prevalent trope.

Pushing people to be afraid of people should be considered terrorism and platforms should be held accountable for platforming this.

A late entry to #astroPasturing (similar to #astroturfing )

Revealed: The Climate Denial Network Behind ‘Classic Astroturf’ Farmers’ Campaign

https://www.desmog.com/2024/02/08/revealed-the-climate-denial-network-behind-classic-astroturf-farmers-campaign/

Durant ces #legislatives je serais curieux de savoir combien de faux comptes, commentaires, billets de blogs, voire affiches et programmes vont être générés par l'#IA générative et en particulier #ChatGPT . Surtout avec des délais aussi courts. #Astroturfing

@josh
Thank you for the heads-up!

The recent news that #Mastodon and the #Fediverse reach 15 Million accounts, while #TrumpSocial reaches only 5 Million users, was bound to attract the manipulators and malicious players. They haven't figured out yet how to subvert Mastodon (unnoticed, at least), but give them some time, and they will.

Some time back, a professional Facebook group I admin was nearing 4K members. I was suddenly getting a ton of bot accounts trying to join, porn post attempts, and the like. Apparently, 4K is the magic number for attracting the scammers, spammers, and weirdos there.

We will all have to keep a vigilant eye out, from here on in.

[Translation for others like me, who had to look up the term: #Astroturfing means "the practice of hiding the sponsors of a message or organization (e.g., political, advertising, religious, or public relations) to make it appear as though it originates from, and is supported by, grassroots participants."]

"We need to talk about the demise of veganism."

Earthling Ed goes into the PR trickery played by Rick Berman in yet another anti-vegan campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkD3aeO6gL0

Dutch "Farmer's Party" ties to BigAg PR firm:

"How BBB’s monster victory was prepared for years from an inconspicuous business premises in Deventer"

https://archive.ph/emvmh

Use a translator service.

Calling this astroturfing would be putting it mildly. The party is the "offspring" of a PR agency with close ties to Big Agro corporate sector.

Imagine a PR agency creating a party and calling it a "people's movement". It's certainly a PR success, but calling it democracy is a joke.

Story reported here, in case you're looking for more sources: https://twitter.com/zdboren/status/1746871735817834909 Another explainer article is mentioned here: https://pietlekkerkerk.blogspot.com/2023/10/de-dddubieuze-start-van-bbb-financiele.html

At stake are the Business As Usual profits tied to the Agro sector, based on the combination of BigAg + input producers, especially the meat sector, subsidized massively directly and indirectly, plus the savings from not paying the penalties from destroying the planet. It's always about money.

I'd call this the a party of the rural bourgeoisie.

In case anyone is low on blood pressure and needs a boost, I recommend this podcast:
"Big Meat’s Big Win in Europe" on the rising meat industry backed culture war in Europe https://euscream.com/big-meats-big-win-in-europe/

1/9

<>
In this episode: a deep dive into the activities and influence of a group called European Livestock Voice with Andrea Bertaglio, a journalist and the group’s campaign manager. Also in this episode: Thin Lei Win, the lead food systems reporter for Lighthouse Reports that oversaw the investigation; Arthur Neslen, a freelance journalist for The Guardian; Silvia Lazzaris, editor at Food Unfolded; and Olga Kikou, the head of Compassion in World Farming in Brussels. “This takes us far beyond animal welfare,” says Olga. “It’s a democracy issue.”
</>

it's about the efforts to ban cages, legally, across the EU, by pushing with popular petitions. You may have even signed on that petition. https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2018/000004/end-cage-age_en

The Comforting Lie of Climate-Friendly Meat https://newrepublic.com/article/177575/never-trust-green-meat

"Welche Folgen der #Kohleabbau für das Wasser hat, ist das Thema des #Wassercluster #Lausitz e. V. Der Verein „gibt sich nach außen wissenschaftlich, ist aber sehr eng mit der# Leag und ihren Interessen verwoben“, sagt Heide Schinowsky. Zwei Vorstandsmitglieder waren langjährige Mitarbeiter bei der Leag, darunter der erste Vorsitzende Ingolf Arnold." Klingt für uns nach #Astroturfing, oder? https://taz.de/Kohle-Abbau-in-der-Lausitz/!5972597/

William Marcellino, Ph.D. and Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga of the RAND Corporation explain why the rise of generative AI poses unprecedented challenges for democracy. As astroturfing evolves, we delve into its potential impacts on social media and the broader implications for society

#GenerativeAI #deepfake #astroturfing #llm

https://thedataexchange.media/generative-ai-powered-social-media-manipulation