Front
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| Front groups are intended to deceive the casual observer by carrying out actions without disclosing who instigated them. They include astroturf (fake 'grassroots' organisations) operated by legitimate companies as well as fronts operated by groups with more questionable legitimacy to provide plausible deniability to as criminal groups, governments or intelligence agencies. |
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, terrorist organizations, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations. Front organizations can act for the parent group without the actions being attributed to the parent group thereby allowing them to hide from public view, ie plausible deniability.
Fronts are synonymous, or have large overlap with the term cover.
Front organizations that appear to be independent voluntary associations or charitable organizations are called front groups. In the business world, front organizations such as front companies or shell corporations are used to shield the parent company from legal liability. In international relations, a puppet state is a state which acts as a front (or surrogate) for another state.
Weblinks
List of alleged fronts for the CIA by John Robles.
References
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