Update: A report that claimed Internet Explorer users had a lower IQ than those using other browsers has been branded a hoax.
After the results of a supposedly legitimate survey called IE users’ intelligence into question, the news spread like wildfire, with – we’re ashamed to admit – PC Pro publishing a story, as well as the BBC, The Telegraph and CNN, among others.
However, the Canadian company that released the research – AptiQuant – appears to have been recently set up and uses the staff images and company blurb from a French company called Central Test, which is a psychometric testing site.
Whereas the French company has been around for several years, a search on the domain name for AptiQuant shows it was registered in July.
AptiQuant released extensive research data along with the report, but PC Pro was unable to reach anyone via the listed phone number or email at the time of publication.
It’s unclear who is behind the hoax, or what it hoped to achieve other than tripping up the media. We’d like to offer a tip of the hat to the hoaxers for a job well done and to our readers who pointed out flaws in the story – and apologise for running the story in the first place.
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