The criminal offense of sextortion is a form of blackmail or extortion and is committed when a person threatens to publish private nude, pornographic, or explicit photos, videos, or images of another person’s body or sexual activity unless the person provides something of value—such as money, sexual activity, more sexual images, or the performance of sexual acts (often online using webcams).

Sextortion laws vary from state to state and are sometimes part of a state’s laws regarding revenge pornography, blackmail, extortion, bribery, or cyberstalking and are prosecuted under those or other criminal offenses rather than as a specific offense called sextortion. These laws are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code—and are sometimes titled with descriptive names such as The Unlawful Disclosure or Promotion of Intimate Visual Material.

In Idaho, sextortion is not recognized as a distinct criminal offense under a specific statute titled 'sextortion.' However, individuals who engage in sextortion can be prosecuted under various existing laws that criminalize similar conduct. These laws include statutes against sexual exploitation (Idaho Code § 18-1507), extortion (Idaho Code § 18-2403), and video voyeurism (Idaho Code § 18-6609), among others. For instance, the crime of sexual exploitation involves possessing, distributing, or producing sexually exploitative material for sexual gratification or commercial gain, which can encompass some sextortion scenarios. Extortion laws in Idaho make it illegal to obtain money, property, or any advantage by means of threats, which can apply to threats to release explicit images. Additionally, Idaho's video voyeurism law prohibits the dissemination of private images without consent. An attorney can provide specific guidance on how these laws might apply to a particular case of sextortion.