Card Companies Crack Down On Restaurants’ Data Security

After being cracked against in Congress over late-fee practices and other hidden nasties, the credit card industry is doing some cracking of its own against restaurants, who, the industry says, are not doing enough to protect patrons data security.

In recent months, Visa USA Inc., MasterCard Inc. and financial institutions that process electronic payments have done everything from levied fines, sent warning letters and held seminars to pressure restaurants into being more careful about protecting the information.