Coercion, Blackmail & Exploitation
Do not use threats, secrets, private media, social status, money, roles, access, affection, or withdrawal of support to force another person into contact, silence, labour, payment, sexual conduct, or rule-breaking.
Blackmail remains prohibited whether the demanded act is legal, whether the information is true, and whether the material was originally obtained consensually. Threatening to make a report unless someone provides a personal benefit is also coercive.
Do not exploit members who are distressed, intoxicated, young, isolated, financially vulnerable, or otherwise less able to make a free decision. Staff may separate parties and preserve evidence before deciding the full case.
Legitimate boundary-setting, debt collection through lawful channels, and good-faith warnings about filing a report are not blackmail when they do not demand an improper personal benefit.