This only looks at the effects on Alice and on Bob, as a simplification. But with blackmail “carrying out the threat” means telling other people information about Bob, and that is often useful for those other people.
When the public interest motivates the release of private info, it’s called ‘whistleblowing’ and is* legally protected and considered far more moral than blackmail. I think that contrast is helpful to understanding why that’s not enough to make blackmail moral.
*in some jurisdictions, restrictions may apply, see your local legal code for a full list of terms & conditions.
I think you’re right that it’s not trivially negative sum because it can have positive outcomes for third parties. Still expect a world of legal blackmail to be worse.
As a means of disclosing information about wrongdoing, blackmail has no advantage over whistle-blowing, and also no advantage over journalism. Journalists have to disclose information, whereas it doesn’t get disclosed in successful blackmail, and journalists need a public interest defense,whereas it’s perfectly possible to blackmail someone over private behaviour.
I think there’s a greater distinction in the public eye: if you offer to not whistleblow in exchange for money, that’s not whistleblowing, that’s blackmail.
When the public interest motivates the release of private info, it’s called ‘whistleblowing’ and is* legally protected and considered far more moral than blackmail. I think that contrast is helpful to understanding why that’s not enough to make blackmail moral.
*in some jurisdictions, restrictions may apply, see your local legal code for a full list of terms & conditions.
I think you’re right that it’s not trivially negative sum because it can have positive outcomes for third parties. Still expect a world of legal blackmail to be worse.
As a means of disclosing information about wrongdoing, blackmail has no advantage over whistle-blowing, and also no advantage over journalism. Journalists have to disclose information, whereas it doesn’t get disclosed in successful blackmail, and journalists need a public interest defense,whereas it’s perfectly possible to blackmail someone over private behaviour.
I think there’s a greater distinction in the public eye: if you offer to not whistleblow in exchange for money, that’s not whistleblowing, that’s blackmail.