IE users low RQ
By Techgirl

On Aug 1, 2011, I had written about a Canadian psychometric company AptiQuant that surveyed 100,000 people over 4 weeks and found that ‘a significant number of individuals with a low score on the cognitive test were found to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE)’.  Everyone from the BBC to CNN picked up the story and it made headlines everywhere. But it was an elaborate hoax. Couple of weeks later, I had given an update on how Techie Tarandeep Gill was behind this elaborate prank which fooled everyone from BBC, Gawker to CNN (and this stupid journalist from Mumbai – me)

Projection Point which has expertise in Risk Intelligence has now released its research which has similar bad things to say about Microsoft browser IE users. Risk intelligence is the ability to estimate probabilities accurately.

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Internet Explorer users have low Risk Intelligence (RQ)

Projection Point decided to carry out a poll to compare the risk intelligence (RQ) of people using different browsers. We found that Internet Explorer users performed worse than everyone else; they had lower RQ scores and were grossly overconfident.

Perhaps the use of Microsoft Internet Explorer should be considered an indicator of poor risk intelligence. This would be consistent with studies showing that the computers of Internet Explorer users contain more malicious software than the machines of those using other browsers, that about 7% of downloads by Internet Explorer users are malicious and that the browser is amongst the most popular means of infecting Windows machines (this holds especially true for older versions).
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Techgoss note:  Techgirl is a senior Tech journalist who reports on the IT, KPO and KPO Sectors for a leading media house.  In her spare time, she dabbles in satire in her blog techgirltalk.blogspot.com.  Techgirl has been ejected from Twitter for satirizing an Indian Minister.  Her satire blog has links to her Times of India interview detailing her being kicked out of Twitter, and then being invited back.