Academic trolled for PhD 'unfazed by the vitriol'

I'd like to see what happens if we were to take online threats seriously.

As far as I can tell, people view threats of violence on the Internet as mere hyperbole. They don't intend to carry them through, and they don't expect you to take them seriously. Law enforcement knows that it's unlikely to result in violence, and that the offenders are likely out of their jurisdiction. The vast majority of threats go unreported, and the few reports result in any action.

But threats are intended as a form of censorship, to keep people from speaking. They are both illegal on the face of it, and dangerous to free speech.

So I'd be interested in seeing what happens if law enforcement actually tried to enforce the existing laws. I'm not so naive as to think it would help all that much, but I hold a tiny glimmer of hope that people might think twice rather than being 100% certain they can get away with what is, quite clearly, a crime.