Blackmail is an insidious form of coercion, a criminal act that uses threats or violence to force the victim to act against their interests. Coercion crimes differ based on the influence used against the victim and the demands of the perpetrator. In the case of blackmail, the perpetrator uses the threat of disclosing embarrassing or damaging information to demand money or favors from the victim.
what is blackmail?
Blackmail is an attempt to obtain money, property or favors from a person by threatening to publish information that would incriminate, embarrass or socially harm the victim. a blackmail incident can be characterized by:
- the perpetrator: Anyone can commit blackmail, although it is often considered a white-collar crime.
- the victim: anyone can become a victim of blackmail, but the most likely targets are people with political power and access to secrets (government or corporate) or financial resources— – things the perpetrator wants.
- the demand: the perpetrator makes a demand of the victim, which may or may not be illegal (considered bribery in any form). perpetrators may ask for money, access to corporate or government data or secrets, or may ask the victim to use their power or influence in a particular way to benefit the perpetrator.
- the threat– the perpetrator uses a threat to force the victim to comply with his demands. Common threats used in blackmail include:
- revealing private or embarrassing information about a person.
- revealing confidential information that could harm a person financially.
- accusing falsely target the victim of a crime.
- report the victim for a crime they are believed to have committed.
what is an example of blackmail?
some examples of blackmail might include:
- A perpetrator connects with an IT manager on a dating site and gets embarrassing pictures of them. threaten to post the images unless the manager provides them with access to their organization’s private network and data assets.
- a perpetrator exploits software vulnerabilities to steal sensitive data from an organization’s customers . they threaten to expose the organization’s lax security practices and release the stolen data unless they are paid a large sum of money.
what is the difference between extortion and blackmail?
Extortion and blackmail are forms of coercion, the practice of using threats to manipulate a victim’s actions.
Extortion is broadly defined as “coercion for profit,” and extortionists may accompany their demands with a variety of threats including violence, kidnapping, destruction of property or reputation, or misuse of a public charge.
Blackmail is a special type of “coercion for profit,” a subset of extortion that uses the specific threat of divulging damaging information to make demands of the victim.
what are the consequences of blackmail?
Penalties and consequences for blackmail vary significantly by jurisdiction.
in the united states, under 18 code § 873, a perpetrator who demands anything of value under the threat of reporting a crime, or as payment for not reporting a crime, can be fined and jailed for up to one year .
in australia, people found guilty of racketeering can be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. In Canada, blackmail and extortion are legally equivalent and can result in sentences of up to life in prison depending on the circumstances.
why is blackmail a crime?
blackmail is considered a violation of the rights of the individual. The use of threats or leverage to make a claim is intended to deprive the victim of her free will and force her to act against her own interests.
While in many cases it may be legal for a blackmail perpetrator to make public the information they threaten to release, it becomes illegal coercion when the victim is required to do so. this is the case regardless of whether the information under threat of publication is true or not.