Industry on Board With White House’s Cyber and Data Security Actions

Ahead of this week's rollout of President Barack Obama's BuySecure Initiative, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has given its approval to the White House's actions regarding cyber and data security.

"Through the BuySecure Initiative, the President has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring that debit and credit cards operate with the strongest security technology available today: chip-and-PIN," noted the Arlington, Va.-based trade organization, adding that it would study the initiative's details as they emerged.

"Retailers have demonstrated a commitment to working with policymakers to enhance cybersecurity, carefully steward customer data and strengthen consumer trust," said RILA President Sandy Kennedy. "We encourage all policymakers to recognize the importance of prioritizing the collaboration and flexibility needed to promote retail innovation."

RILA, together with its fellow retail industry trade groups, the National Retail Federation and National Grocers Association, cheered the initiative when it was first revealed last October.

In addition to chip-and-PIN debit/credit cards, RILA has championed threat information sharing among retailers and manufacturers, and a private-sector solution to protecting the payments system.