An article on alleged fake Twitter followers of important personalities has been retracted after The Quint found the findings – based on a twitteraudit survey – to be questionable. The website, which is not affiliated to Twitter, conducted the analysis on a sample size of 5,000 followers, which, we think, is grossly insufficient and distorts reality.

When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson told The Quint that they did not support the data, and that the microblogging platform had filed a lawsuit against twitteraudit in the past. While the menace of fake Twitter followers may be a reality, the figures in the survey did not give a complete picture.

We regret publishing the report without rigorous due diligence in this case.