“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to release information described in paragraph C4.2.2.5.2 of DoD [the Department of Defense] 5400.11-R regarding a current or former member of the Armed Forces to any non-Federal entity or person without the consent of such member or former member,” the bill said.
According to the Department of Defense’s privacy rules from 2007, personal data regarding individual military members, including full name, rank, salary, awards, assignments, and official photo, may be disclosed without restrictions.
The ban will not apply to cases when such information is requested under the “Freedom of Information Act” provided that the releasing authority notifies the member or the former member who is the subject of the request, the bill revealed last week.
The move comes after the Pentagon erroneously released the private data of several GOP politicians without their consent during their midterm election campaigns after it was requested by a person linked to the Democratic party, according to media reports.