[xiler]

I think this practice is a bit worse than other forms of electioneering since it is not clear if views being expressed come directly from the candidate or not (unlike a TV ad or a rally). When governments do something similar this, their methods are rightly criticized as being undemocratic [1,2]. I think a similar line of reasoning applies to US election politics.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_Cent_Party

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_web_brigades