Method and system for maintaining privacy and compliance in the use of account reissuance data

Abstract

A method for linking payment accounts includes: storing a plurality of account profiles, each profile including data related to a payment account including an account number and account data; encrypting the account number included in each account profile using a method of encryption to obtain an encrypted account number; receiving account linkage data, the data including a plurality of encrypted account identifiers, each identifier being indicated as being linked to another identifier, and each identifier being encrypted using the method of encryption; matching each of the encrypted account identifiers to an encrypted account number; and updating one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the profile being updated matches an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that matches the encrypted account number included in the other profile.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for linking accounts, comprising:
 storing, in an account database of a payment processing server, a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes at least an account number and account data;   encrypting, by a processing device of the payment processing server, the account number included in each account profile stored in the account database to obtain an encrypted account number;   subsequent to the encryption of account numbers in account profiles, receiving, by a receiving device of the payment processing server, account linkage data that includes (i) a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data;   matching, by the processing device of the payment processing server, each encrypted account identifier included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number included in an account profile stored in the account database; and   updating, in the account database of the payment processing server, one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the account profile being updated is matched with an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that is matched with the encrypted account number included in the another account profile.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the account data includes a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related to a payment transaction involving a related payment account including at least transaction data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein updating the one or more account profiles includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiving device. 
     
     
         6 . A system for linking accounts, comprising:
 an account database, of a payment processing server, configured to store a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes at least an account number and account data;   a processing device, of the payment processing server, configured to encrypt the account number included in each account profile to obtain an encrypted account number; and   a receiving device, of the payment processing server, configured to receive, subsequent to the encryption of account numbers in account profiles, account linkage data that includes (i) a plurality of encrypted account identifiers and (ii) indications of linkages between encrypted account identifiers of the plurality of encrypted account identifiers included in the account linkage data,   wherein the processing device is further configured to:
 match each of the encrypted account identifiers included in the received account linkage data to an encrypted account number included in an account profile stored in the account database, and 
 update, in the account database of the payment processing server, one or more account profiles to indicate a link to another account profile where the encrypted account number included in the account profile being updated is matched with an encrypted account identifier that is indicated as being linked to an encrypted account identifier that is matched with the encrypted account number included in the another account profile. 
   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the account data includes a plurality of transaction data entries, wherein each transaction data entry includes data related to a payment transaction involving a related payment account including at least transaction data. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein each encrypted account identifier corresponds to a payment card associated with a payment account, and wherein the another encrypted account identifier indicated as being linked to the encrypted account identifier corresponds to a reissued payment card associated with the payment account. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein updating the one or more account profiles includes merging each of the one or more account profiles with the linked another account profile. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the received account linkage data is de-identified prior to receipt by the receiving device.