Reference
Privacy Glossary
Terms you will encounter while protecting your privacy.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active duty alert | A notice on a service member's credit file requiring creditors to verify identity before extending credit |
| Address confidentiality program | A state program providing eligible participants a substitute address for public records |
| Consumer reporting agency | A company that assembles consumer reports for credit, employment, insurance, or housing decisions; regulated by FCRA |
| Data broker | A business that collects and sells personal information about people it has no direct relationship with |
| Deletion request | A request that a company erase personal information it holds |
| DROP | California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform |
| Fraud alert | A notice asking creditors to verify identity before opening accounts |
| Opt-out | A request that a company stop selling or sharing your information |
| PADFAA | Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 |
| People-search site | A website selling profiles of individuals to the public |
| Security freeze | A restriction preventing access to a credit file for new credit |
| Suppression list | A list a company keeps to ensure a person's data is not re-collected or re-published |