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Blackmail on social media: what do we know and what remains unknown?

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Abstract

Increasing numbers of people fall victim to blackmail on social media. Yet, there has been little attempt to synthesise research on this topic. This study seeks to address this gap by investigating what is currently known about blackmail and the disclosure of sensitive information on social media. Two rapid reviews were conducted and based on their findings those who disclose more information, are younger, female and willing to use social media to create and distribute images are more likely to fall victim to blackmail on social media. However, worry about privacy and the possibility of becoming a victim of blackmail on social media did not necessarily prevent the disclosure of sensitive information. The implications of these findings for interventions and future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Abdullah Al Habsi, Michelle Butler & Andrew Percy

  2. School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

    Sakir Sezer

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  1. Abdullah Al Habsi
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  2. Michelle Butler
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Correspondence to Michelle Butler.

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Al Habsi, A., Butler, M., Percy, A. et al. Blackmail on social media: what do we know and what remains unknown?. Secur J 34, 525–540 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41284-020-00246-2

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