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Barclays online banking - three strikes and you're out?

By Ian Jones

Published: Friday 11 August 2000

Once is almost forgivable, twice is truly appalling, but three times..? well, you make up your own superlative.

Barclays bank seems to be doing its utmost to single-handedly destroy consumer confidence in online banking.

First, its system allowed users into other people's bank accounts.

Second, another slip up just a few days later and a user accidentally stumbles across his next door neighbour's finances.

Now, www.ibank.barclays.co.uk fails the most basic of security checks. Log out and then click the back button on your browser, and hey presto, you're back in again without having to re-enter your password.

Hello Barclays? Are you listening to what your customers and the media are telling you?

It seems not.

Barclays haven't shut down the site, it appears not to have tried to fix the problem and it certainly hasn't emailed its online customers to let them know what's going on.

Instead it is blaming browser settings and is only dealing with individuals when they actually complain.

Pretending the problem is trivial and hoping it will go away just won't work.

Why? Because campaigning publications like silicon.com will make sure this slipshod behaviour is publicised and rectified.

It's our duty to do so, because companies like Powergen and Barclays are killing ecommerce for everyone.

All those reputable online banks, retailers and exchanges shouldn't suffer just because of the mistakes of the few. It doesn't matter whether security breaches are the fault of the site owner or one of their suppliers - it is the name on the front door that counts. And they must take responsibility.

So come on Barclays. Put your house in order and then we can really get down to ebusiness.