The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) is a nonprofit organization chartered in 2011 to help Internet industry leaders find a way to address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. The entities selling these “medicines” typically advertise and present themselves as pharmacies, which inspires consumer trust. The average consumer has no way to know whether the product he or she is purchasing is counterfeit or otherwise unsafe, and is therefore not only vulnerable to the dangers associated with these substances, but also often has little recourse.

Thanks to the work of CSIP, consumers and medical professionals who previously had few resources to understand the scope of the problem or the potential dangers from purchasing pharmaceuticals from these illegal pharmacies now have ways to verify the certification of their online pharmacy, to report illegal online pharmacies or counterfeit pharmaceutical products, and to become educated about these issues.

In addition to being a clearinghouse for certified safe online resources for medicines, CSIP also collaborates with its members and partners in global law enforcement to ensure that those involved in manufacturing or selling counterfeit medicines are apprehended and illegal online pharmacies are stripped of their abilities to transact online or be found by unsuspecting consumers.