Blackmail

Blackmail is a form of DISSEMINATION privacy harm under the Solove taxonomy. Blackmail is defined as "threatening to disclose personal information."

A dating service for adulters charging customers to delete their accounts.

Additional comments

NOTE: This privacy harm has been deprecated in the latest version of Strategic Privacy by Design 2nd Edition. Blackmail is best thought of as a special form of Decisional Interference, whereby the aim of the threat actor is to induce some action on the part of the at-risk individual, given the potential for release of information by the threat actor.

Occurrences

• AI Pandemic
• Apple Faces Lawsuit Over AirTag Stalking Dangers (6 December 2022)
• Belarusian Hackers Leaked Police Personal Information (September 2020)
• Female Student Killed After Blackmail (2020)
• Hack of Psychotherapeutic Clinic in Finland (October 2020)
• Ring's Privacy Failures - Spying and Harassing Through Home Cameras (May 2023)

Laws and Regulations

The following laws and regulations address the Blackmail harm.

• AL SB 301 (United States, Alabama)
• CA PEN § 647 (United States, California)
• CH. 48.1. Consumer Privacy Protection Act. (United States, Rhode Island)
• Connecticut General Statutes Title 53A. Penal Code § 53a-189c. Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image: Class A misdemeanor (United States, Connecticut)
• ILL. SB 1507 Civil Remedies for Nonconsensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images Act (United States, Illinois)
• S. 665 - Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act of 2015 (United States)
• VA. HB. 2081 (2015) (United States, Virginia)
• § 166.065. Harassment (United States, Oregon)
• § 21.16. UNLAWFUL DISCLOSURE OR PROMOTION OF INTIMATE VISUAL MATERIAL. (United States, Texas)
• § 39-13-301. Criminal Offenses (United States, Tennessee)
• § 573.112. Threatening the nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, offense of — elements — penalty. (United States, Missouri)
• § 711-1110.9. Violation of privacy in the first degree (United States, Hawaii)
• §10181- §10181.13. Review of Rate Increases. (United States, California)
• §40.1-28.7:5. Social media accounts of current and prospective employees. (United States, Virginia)
• §49.44.200 TO §49.44.205. Personal social networking accounts—Restrictions on employer access—Definitions. (United States, Washington)
• §995.55. Internet Privacy Protection. (United States, Wisconsin)