In the US, blackmail has a very specific meaning: it is a threat to inform law enforcement of a violation of federal law under demand of a thing of value. This

In the US, blackmail has a very specific meaning: it is a threat to inform law enforcement of a violation of federal law under demand of a thing of value. This would actually be extortion, which is defined in 18 USC 875(d): Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/part1/chapter41&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title18/par...