Fair enough. I'm prepared, on the basis of Tom's comments, to accept that the Danish bug-finders were "blackmailers," albeit of the weakest, noncriminal sort. (Nobody is suggesting criminal prosecution, extradition, etc., are they?) But I think the "terrorist" appelation is a bit strong. At 6:56 PM -0700 6/15/97, Tom Weinstein wrote:
It's blackmail. IANAL, but I believe that blackmail consists of a demand, and a threat to harm if the demand is not met.
(However, a "threat to harm" is ambiguous. Many business deals involve mentions of consequences...at what point does this become "blackmail," especially the criminal sense of blackmail?)
If he had said: "I'm going to go to the press on this date. You can buy the information from me before that for X amount of money."
That would be an ordinary business transaction. Instead, what he said was something like: "Pay me lots of money or I will go to the press in such a way as to damage you the most."
That is blackmail. It's clear that the money is to prevent the damage, not just for the information.
Perhaps so, but things remain ambiguous. More skilled negotiators might be more circumspect about the "damage" side, only hinting at it. I don't know if the Danes were clumsy at conveying their intentions. Maybe English was not their forte.
"Terrorism" probably doesn't apply, since his aim was not political. (Or doesn't terrorism have to be political?) I think blackmail is a more appropriate term.
Like I said, but I still think a less inflammatory description than "terrorist," or even "blackmailer" is better. There's probably something between "cheerful Berkeley grad students grateful to get a free t-shirt" and "blackmailer." --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!" ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."