Retail installers urged to consider Chip and PIN

The new guidelines, about security issues surrounding the use of Chip and PIN technology, have been welcomed by the British Retail consortium.

"CCTV has long been an essential tool for retailers in the fight against business crime," said BSIA CCTV Section chairman Pauline Norstrom. "However, the introduction of Chip and PIN has created issues with regard to the use of CCTV, such as the positioning of CCTV cameras where PIN details can be recorded.

"The BSIA's new guidelines respond to these issues by highlighting key areas in the installation and use of CCTV that retailers and the general public should be made aware of in order to protect the integrity of the Chip and PIN process." Paul Smith, policy director for card payments at the British Retail Consortium, said: "The BRC supports the protection that Chip and PIN provides both retailers and customers for card payment and encourages retailers to protect cardholders' PIN information by employing measures included in the BSIA guidelines."

The guidelines suggest that fixed cameras should be positioned so that customer PIN information cannot be clearly identified; that where this is not possible, cardholders' data should be protected, either by physical or electronic means; and recording equipment should be secured and only accessible by authorised users.

They also suggest that moveable cameras such as domes should be positioned "so that at no time during their operation, or in a preset position, can they clearly view the customers' PIN information at the time of the transaction".

The guidelines also contain details on where Chip and PIN terminals should be located, and on the integration of CCTV systems with electronic point of sale, or EPOS, recording systems. The BSIA's Chip and PIN guidelines are available to download from www.bsia.co.uk/download.html.