Josh Willcox is far from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He does not have to look over his shoulder in fear, expecting a death threat to come to life. For now, he is safe in London and far from the surveillance of the Canary Mission.

Before he went home, Willcox was doxxed — photos and videos of him, his LinkedIn account and articles mentioning his name were posted on the group’s website. This information led to hundreds of messages and death threats towards him. 

The group responsible, Canary Mission, operates a website that has been used across the nation to dox students, professors, professionals and organizations which are deemed antisemitic. They investigate profiles relied upon by internet sources and participation with supporters. The website has been registered since 2015.

Willcox, a Harvard Senior, was an organizer for the Palestine Solidarity Committee — a Harvard-based group which advocates for the rights of Palestinians. It was among the first of the activist groups to blame Israel for the “unfolding violence” during the war in Gaza in an open letter on October 12. 

When Willcox began organizing for the PSC, he was targeted by Canary Mission. He said that all it takes to be put on their website is believing the endless human rights reports claiming that Israel is committing apartheid.

“If you say that publicly enough, then you’re probably going to end up on the list at some point,” Willcox said.

Canary Mission, which is not registered as a nonprofit or business, has an ethics policy stating all profile subjects have been put on the list for antisemitic behavior, including actions against supporters of Israel. The website actively fights against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), an activist group seeking to end international support for Israel due to their oppression of Palestinians.

Willcox said he received hundreds of messages and death threats after the war in Palestine escalated. Feeling pressured by the “McCarthy-like surveillance,” what troubled him was how weirdly specific some details were about his life, one message even claiming the person knew his high school history teacher.

“It doesn’t need to be logical for it to make you fearful, it’s just the fact that there are tens of people who are directly looking into your personal life in order to threaten you,” Willcox said. “The fact that those three guys in Vermont got shot shows that America really isn’t a safe space.”

Willcox referred to the shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont. The Boston Police have not had to respond to any hate crime incidents since the conflict, however, protests have continued. Earlier this month, Palestinian activists gathered outside a fundraising event for President Joe Biden at the Shubert Theatre.

Eugene Volokh, a University of California Los Angeles law professor, said he understands why people are hesitant to join a group or voice their political opinion — but these actions are not illegal. Although it can cause both professional and physical risks, the landmark Supreme court case, NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware, classified acts like doxxing as a form of political speech which falls under the first amendment.

“Newspapers have long been some of the most dangerous doxxers, ” Volokh said. “People are entitled to report on political or non-political acts. They have every right to do that.”

NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware involved boycotts by a Claiborne County NAACP chapter against white business owners in the area. During the boycotts, activists stood outside these stores and reported on black people that broke the boycott. As a result, those identified were named at meetings with some experiencing violence.

Volokh said in an article that this is a difficult question as a matter of social norms because of how common it is. He said, “any news story that reveals someone’s alleged crimes or misconduct could lead to many people to shun the person.”

When Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist, killed Cecil the lion in 2015, his information was publicly doxxed by internet users and had his name in articles across the nation. In one instance, protesters greeted Palmer outside his clinic according to a Washington Post article.

Volokh said it would be more beneficial to depersonalize such divisive issues. 

“People should debate these issues about Israel and Palestine,” Volokh said. “Without shaming people, or canceling them.”

Universities in the Boston region have responded to the deep divisions on campus. Harvard University denounced the rise of antisemitism and islamophobia on its campus. President Claudine Gay, in a testimony to congress, said “My administration has repeatedly made crystal clear that antisemitism and other forms of hate have no place at Harvard. Threats and intimidation have no place at Harvard.”

Yet, Harvard does not have much power according to Willcox. He said universities have consistently “sat on the fence” and waited until tides of social organizing made issues palatable, then coopted.

“It’s not like Harvard was on the forefront of the civil rights movement, or on the forefront of women’s rights or gay rights,” Willcox said. “I don’t think Harvard would be the biggest university in the U.S. feeding most people into the American administration if they were questioning the military industrial complex on an administrative level.”

Canary Mission’s tactics are effective in placing a chilling effect on activists. The website has a section dedicated to “Ex-Canary” members. Ex-Canaries are people who were formerly investigated by Canary Mission and requested their information be taken down. People must write essays denouncing their views and former affiliations and in exchange, their identities are removed.

After PSC’s open letter, Willcox distanced himself from the group by posting a statement on his Instagram. He said, “In contrast to the PSC open letter, I believe that anyone who inflicts violence on civilians is solely to blame for their actions.”

The full statement was made on Josh’s Instagram account.

Michael Chambers, a UMass Boston Senior, said he thinks blacklists like this are pure propaganda and are mainly just scare tactics.

“It’s just a way of getting people to shut up,” Chambers said. “ But people shouldn’t be scared of shutting up due to a fear website and easily found information.”

Willcox will be coming back to Cambridge for his final semester and is committed to human rights organizing after college. But that comes at a cost. His return can make him vulnerable to fanatics who have seen his profile on Canary Mission.

 “Henry Kissinger died, dropping napalm on the entirety of Cambodia, that’s not enough to get doxxed,” Willcox said. “None of us have dropped napalm on the entirety of a civilization!”

Canary Mission did not respond for comment at this time.