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 Kentucky, sextortion is not recognized as a distinct criminal offense under a specific statute titled 'sextortion.' However, individuals who engage in such conduct can be prosecuted under various existing laws that criminalize related behavior. Kentucky law addresses similar conduct under statutes related to revenge pornography, extortion, and harassment. For instance, Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) 531.010 and following sections criminalize the distribution of private erotic or sexual images without consent, which is often referred to as 'revenge porn.' Extortion, which involves obtaining something of value through threats, is criminalized under KRS 514.080. Additionally, harassment and stalking behaviors, which can include threats to release explicit images, are covered under KRS 525.070 and KRS 508.130 respectively. These laws collectively provide a framework for prosecuting individuals who engage in sextortion by threatening to release explicit images unless they receive money, sexual favors, or other forms of value.