Suppose Person A has a photograph of another Person B violating a law.
If A demands money from B in exchange for not revealing the photo, then A is guilty of blackmail.
But what if A offers to destroy the photo in exchange for B providing something of value to A? Does a positive formulation like that still constitute blackmail?
Examples could be:
- "The photograph is hidden in a public place. There's no telling how long it will be before someone stumbles upon it. If you do what I say, I'll go retrieve it and destroy it personally."
- "I don't have to help you keep it a secret, but if you pay me, then I will."