When is independent testing completely independent?

Read an interesting headline earlier today - "Symantec Touts Independent Testing". At first glance it looks like Symantic are recommending that you use independent testing services rather than rely on the supplier to test their software - a great endorsement for the independent software testing market sector.

But when you read the story it's not really that at all.

"Symantec announced that Norton Internet Security 2009 has received a perfect score and was named the top-rated product in a comprehensive analysis of protection in security suites conducted by third-party testing organization Cascadia Labs. Recently engineered with performance as a key focus, Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 also received top marks in overall performance in a comprehensive test conducted by PassMark Software, beating out competitors like Avira, ESET, Kaspersky, McAfee and Trend Micro. "

So its more about comparative benchmarking carried out by an independent company. Still it is testing and it is independent, isn't it? Well, yes, of course. The fact that the exercise was commissioned by Symantic doesn't change that, does it?

If you are interested in the full story you can find it at Trading Markets