Pentagon wants to keep some sexual assault records out of privacy rules

The Department of Defense proposes to exempt its sexual assault incident database from certain parts of the Privacy Act. This means the Pentagon could withhold some records from individuals during criminal, civil, or administrative investigations.

The Privacy Act of 1974 gives individuals rights over their personal information held by federal agencies. This proposed change means the Pentagon could keep some details about sexual assault incidents private from the people involved. It aims to prevent interference with ongoing investigations, but it also reduces transparency for victims and others.