Internet Explorer users aren’t dumb – report was faked

A report was issued last week which said that users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer have a lower IQ than those who use competing browsers, such as Firefox.

The fake company website published a blog entry yesterday which said that the whole thing was an elaborate joke. The news was reported on many leading websites, such as CNN.

The blog said “There is no company called AptiQuant, and no such survey was ever done. This was all meant to be a lighthearted joke.”

In the end, we are once again sorry if I this report hurt your feelings. The main purpose behind this hoax was to create awareness about the incompatibilities of IE6 and how it is pulling back innovation. So, if you are still using IE6, please update to a newer browser.”

No user name was attached to the blog statement, but it does direct people to the athcheap.com shopping website.

While it may have been funny for some people, the French company Central Test aren't laughing – their website was plundered to make the fake website appear legitimate. Patrick Leguide, the founder and president of the organisation said “We only found about this today, after journalists asked us for information.”

Yesterday, the BBC spotted similarities between Central Test's website and ApiQuant, the company who are bogus.

The report caused a lot of discussion across the internet when it was released, partly because of the title which read “Is Internet Explorer For The Dumb? A New Study Suggests Exactly That.”

When looking into the report, it turned out that the AptiQuant website was only registered three weeks ago. The website was then found to have lifted content and design elements from Central Test, including client claims and staff members.

Leguide said “It was strange to see my photograph with someone else's name.”

Kitguru says: It seems Internet Explorer users aren't dumb after all.

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