Fear, uncertainty, and doubt
Tactic used to influence opinion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a manipulative propaganda tactic used in technology sales, marketing, public relations, politics, polling, and cults. FUD is generally a strategy to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information and is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.
Origin
The phrase "fear, uncertainty, and doubt" was used in the 1920s.[1][2] A similar phrase "fear, uncertainty, and disinformation" is also used.[3]
By 1975, "FUD" was appearing in contexts of marketing, sales,[4] and in public relations:[5]
One of the messages dealt with is FUD—the fear, uncertainty and doubt on the part of customer and sales person alike that stifles the approach and greeting.[4]
FUD was used with its common current technology-related meaning by Gene Amdahl in 1975, after he left IBM to found Amdahl Corporation[6]
FUD is the fear, uncertainty and doubt that IBM sales people instill in the minds of potential customers who might be considering Amdahl products.[6]
Examples
Software producers
Microsoft
In the 1990s, the term became most often associated with Microsoft. It has been said that Microsoft took the concept from IBM and used it as a primary tool in the 1980s.[7][better source needed]
In 1996, Caldera, Inc. accused Microsoft of several anti-competitive practices, including issuing vaporware announcements, creating FUD, and excluding competitors from participating in beta-test programs to destroy competition in the DOS market.[8][9] In 2000, Microsoft settled the lawsuit out-of-court for an undisclosed sum, which in 2009 was revealed to be $280 million.[10][11][12][13]
SCO v. IBM
The SCO Group's 2003 lawsuit against IBM, funded by Microsoft, claiming $5 billion in intellectual property infringements by the free software community, is an example of FUD, according to IBM, which argued in its counterclaim that SCO was spreading "fear, uncertainty, and doubt".[14]
Apple
Apple's claim that iPhone jailbreaking could potentially allow hackers to crash cell phone towers was described by Fred von Lohmann, a representative of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), as a "kind of theoretical threat...more FUD than truth".[15]
Technical support scams
FUD has also been described as a part of technical support scams.[16]
Caltex
The FUD tactic was used by Caltex Australia in 2003. According to an internal memo, which was subsequently leaked, they wished to use FUD to destabilize franchisee confidence, and thus get a better deal for Caltex. This memo was used as an example of unconscionable behaviour in a Senate inquiry. Senior management claimed that it was contrary to and did not reflect company principles.[17][18][19]