We've been had! Internet Explorer users might not be dumb after all
(CBS) - Remember that study we told you about - that AptiQuant research found that Internet Explorer users have lower IQs than people who use other browsers? As it turns out, the claim is totally bogus. (Sorry, IE users!)
The BBC launched an investigation after reporting on the story themselves, and found that the Canadian site AptiQuant and its test results aren't real.
"Questions about the authenticity of the story were raised by readers of the BBC website who established that the company which put out the research - AptiQuant - appeared to have only set up its website in the past month," BBC explains. "Thumbnail images of the firm's staff on the website also matched those on the site of French research company Central Test, although many of the names had been changed... The BBC contacted Central Test who confirmed that they had been made aware of the copy but had no knowledge of ApTiquant or its activities."
"[BBC] was unable to reach representatives of the so-called research firm, and third-party experts who looked at the data agreed it was suspicious," reports ZDNet.
At the moment, it's unclear who's behind the hoax.
Along with ZDNet (and us), news organizations like Business Insider, CNN, Forbes and The Telegraph also reported on the now-debunked findings.
