Protecting Those Who Protect: Executive Security for Modern Military

Modern Military Association of America is the leading advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ service members, veterans, and their families. They work to protect and expand civil rights for this community through education, advocacy, support networks, and discrimination tracking across the worldwide U.S. military community. What makes them exceptional is their comprehensive approach: they don't just advocate for policy change, they provide direct support when discrimination happens, track incidents to identify patterns, and connect people with resources to resolve issues in real-time. Their work is critical, visible, and often controversial. That visibility comes with risks.

Problem: Executive Director doxxed and threatened

Modern Military's previous executive director was doxxed. Personal information (home address, phone numbers, family details) exposed online and weaponized against someone doing civil rights work. "We've seen an increase in hate speech on our social media," says Rachel Branaman, the Executive Director of Modern Military as of May 2025. But the threats go deeper than angry comments. With federal grants bringing unwanted visibility from the current administration, Modern Military's leadership team faces compounding risks.

The stakes are personal. "I know that my colleague who has a trans kid. That's why this is very important. Our board members are directly impacted by a lot of the policies that are coming down," Rachel explains.

One colleague was considering a service costing several thousand dollars for a deep dive to protect her entire family, including teenagers and young adults who've shared information online without thinking about the consequences. The need for protection was clear. The question was how to make it accessible and sustainable.

Impact: Over 200 Executive records removed in the first quarter

Almost one year into our partnership, the results speak for themselves. "I think it was super easy. And I got everybody's information on my board and staff who wanted the service and added them really quickly and easily, and they were all happy to have that resource," Rachel says. Within the first quarter of partnership (starting Q4 2024), Kanary removed over 200 data broker records exposing Modern Military executives' personal information like home addresses and phone numbers. And in the second quarter removed 90 more. In the following two quarters, Kanary removed 50 records each quarter, showing that while the initial cleanup was substantial, ongoing monitoring continues to catch new exposures before they become threats.

Every 30 days, Kanary scans for new exposures. The system is smart about what matters: in the second quarter, about 100 results were flagged but determined to be non-threatening (legitimate news coverage, press releases, or positive social media mentions). Modern Military's team didn't have to waste time reviewing harmless content and they only saw what actually needed attention.

The value went beyond just their own organization. "I passed it on to a couple other organizations who are interested," Rachel notes. When you find protection that works, you share it with others facing the same risks.

How you can get Kanary for your team or organization

If your organization faces similar risks, whether you're doing advocacy work, serving vulnerable communities, or simply have executives who need protection, you can set up Kanary for your team in less than 5 minutes. Visit kanary.com/enterprise to get started. We'll handle the data removal, the monitoring, and the ongoing protection. You handle changing the world.