How can America prosecute Assange?

[GiantRat]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

Now you’re quoting the general definition of blackmail. From Wikipedia. If you want to show that a government can be blackmailed under the law of England and Wales, you have to do a bit better than that.

“Harm” is the effect of an action, not the action itself.

If we’re at a dinner party, and I say “Hey, Really Not All That Bright, remember that time you did 6 lines of cocaine and then had sex with a lobster, whilst telling everyone that your spouse is a genocidal war criminal?” I would call that harmful to your reputation.

Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

And yes, that example was the best I could come up with - not a very good creative thinking day.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

@GiantRat

If we’re at a dinner party, and I say “Hey, Really Not All That Bright, remember that time you did 6 lines of cocaine and then had sex with a lobster, whilst telling everyone that your spouse is a genocidal war criminal?” I would call that harmful to your reputation.

Unless you’re into that kind of thing.

Here’s the rub, though: I would have to be into that kind of thing or your comments wouldn’t be relevant to a blackmail charge. Under English law, it’s only blackmail if the things you threaten to say about me are substantially true.

I do remember that time, though. Mostly because the damn lobster left welts all over my wedding tackle.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@The_Second_Stone

…The difference between Wikileaks and the NYT is that one is a tool of the US government, and edits and interprets the information extensively to benefit that government, and Wikileaks does far less editing and interpretation…

There aren’t enough :rolleyes: in the world for this. Read the NYT any day and you’ll see plenty of criticism of the government that supposedly holds its leash.