Privacy and Credit Protections for Service Members
Federal law gives active duty service members several protections civilians do not have. Use them.
Active duty alerts
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, service members on active duty can place an active duty alert on their credit files. It requires creditors to take reasonable steps to verify identity before extending new credit, and it is especially useful during deployment.
Free credit monitoring for active duty
The 2018 Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require the nationwide credit bureaus to provide free electronic credit monitoring to active duty military consumers. The Federal Trade Commission's Military Credit Monitoring Rule, finalized in June 2019, implements the requirement. The monitoring notifies active duty members of material additions or changes to their credit files.
Free credit freezes
Like all consumers, service members can freeze their credit for free. See Credit Freezes.
Armed Forces status as sensitive data
The Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 treats information that reveals an individual's status as a member of the Armed Forces as sensitive data that data brokers may not provide to foreign adversaries. The Federal Trade Commission warned 13 data brokers about their obligations under the law in February 2026.
Operational security for military families
- Avoid posting unit names, deployment dates, or locations.
- Check the privacy settings on spouses' and children's social media accounts.
- Remove geotags from photos before sharing.
- Be cautious with base housing addresses in public profiles.