UPDATE: An astute reader let us know that the study also found that our very own Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO)is the U.S. House member with the highest percentage of fake followers.  According to The Hill:

“Polis’s followers are 82 percent fake, according to the study, a higher number than any other Democrat or Republican.  …Polis won the House Democrats’ [new media] competition this year.”

Barack Obama’s Twitter profile shows he has nearly 19 million followers, but a new program called Fake Follower Check by StatusPeople is debunking that claim and saying that approximately 70% of Obama’s followers don’t exist.

According to a New York Times article, the program is meant to expose the practice of “buying” followers: 

“The practice has become so widespread that StatusPeople, a social media management company in London, released a Web tool last month called the Fake Follower Check that it says can ascertain how many fake followers you and your friends have.”

Obama shouldn’t feel too bad, StatusPeople found that 71% of Lady Gaga’s 29 million followers are also fake.

But, perhaps having to buy about 13 million friends is the price you pay for really terrible policies.