Today I’m going to start out with a basic overview of PCI Compliance Laws, and get into more detail on each individual law at a later date.

Fact: The credit card processing industry is unregulated by a third party. Yes it’s true. The credit card processing industry or ( payment card industry) is self regulated and has adopted very strict and warranted regulations and laws to protect both the consumer and the merchant.

(PCI) Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards is a result of a collaboration between Visa and MasterCard to create common industry security requirements. Other card companies operating in the U.S. have also endorsed the standard within their respective programs.

But for now I will keep it simple and only refer to Visa’s program. There are 12 requirements that make up Visa’s (CISP) Cardholder Information Security Program.

Every piece of cardholder account information that passes through the Visa payment system is vital to Visa’s business operation. However, without proper safeguards in place, this information can be extremely vulnerable to internal and external compromise, which can often lead to fraud and identity theft. Visa’s ( CISP) Cardholder Information Security Program ensures the highest standard of due care to help keep sensitive cardholder data safe from hackers and fraudsters.

2.About The Program

Mandated since June 2001, Visa’s CISP is intended to protect Visa cardholder data- wherever it resides. All Members must comply and ensure the compliance of their merchants and service providers who store, process, or transmit Visa account numbers. The program applies to all payment channels, including card present, mail/telephone order, and e-commerce.

To achieve CISP compliance, all members, merchants and service providers must adhere to the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard, which offers a single approach to safeguarding sensitive data for all card brands. By complying with the PCI Data Security Standard, Visa members, merchants, and service providers not only meet their obligations to the payment system, but also build a culture of security that benefits all parties.

For more detailed description of the Visa CISP compliance validation procedures for merchants and service providers can be found at www.visa.com/CISP