Lithuania plans to stop publishing conscription lists publicly

Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence plans to stop publicly publishing lists of conscripts from January 1, 2027, LRT reports, citing the Association of Young Market Participants.

The association said the ministry confirmed in an official letter on July 31 that it had initiated changes to the system and would end the practice of publishing large amounts of conscripts’ personal data online.

The changes would require amendments to the Law on Military Conscription and Alternative National Defence Service. Under the proposed system, people checking whether they had been called up for mandatory military service would have to enter their name, surname, date of birth and the final four digits of their personal identification number. They would see only information related to themselves.

The proposed changes also include a recommendation that institutions responsible for developing the technical measures ensure proper protection of personal data.

Under the current law, the annual list of conscripts is published publicly to ensure transparency in the conscription process and access to information.

Earlier this year, Parliamentary Ombudswoman Erika Leonaitė urged authorities to review the system after receiving a complaint from a conscript included on the 2026 list. The complainant said that publicly available personal data and conscription status had led to anonymous threats of violence after he postponed mandatory military service.

Leonaitė also said publicly available information could be collected by hostile states, raising questions about whether the current regulations were compatible with national security and defence objectives.

A total of 42,556 young people were included on this year’s list, while another 3,800 volunteered for service. About 5,000 people are expected to be called up this year.