Symantec only wanted to take part in our public tests if they could choose which of the tests from our yearly public test-series they participated in; specifically, they did not want to take the File Detection Test (formerly called On-Demand Test). As an independent testing organization, we require all vendors to take part in all the basic tests in the series, and do not allow them to cherry-pick tests. We feel that the File Detection Test is essential to showing the overall capabilities of an anti-virus product, especially with regard to threats that do not come directly from web pages, but are spread via email, LAN or flash drive. Other independent testing organizations (such as AV-Test, VirusBulletin, ICSALabs, WestCoastLabs) include, or rely exclusively on, file detection tests. We know that such tests are not easy to pass, especially considering the need to minimise false positives. As we cannot allow any vendor to opt out of any of the core public tests, Symantec has decided not to take part into our public tests this year
