Which entity develops and enforces compliance programs related to payment card data?

The entity that develops and enforces compliance programs related to payment card data is the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council. This organization is responsible for creating, enhancing, and promoting security standards for payment account data protection, most notably the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The enforcement of compliance programs is a critical aspect of ensuring that organizations handling cardholder data meet these security standards to protect against data breaches and fraud.

While the payment card brands, such as Visa and MasterCard, play significant roles in the ecosystem by setting policies and practices for their networks, they do not individually develop comprehensive security standards like the PCI Security Standards Council does. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is focused on consumer protection and fair trade practices and does not specifically enforce payment card data compliance. Additionally, the International Payment Systems Alliance does not have a relevant role in developing standards for payment card data security. Hence, understanding that the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council is at the forefront of this effort provides clarity on the proper compliance and regulatory framework in this domain.