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 Wisconsin, 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 state laws that criminalize related conduct. For instance, Wisconsin statutes may address this behavior through laws against sexual exploitation, invasion of privacy, harassment, and extortion. Specifically, Wisconsin Statute § 942.09 criminalizes the representation of nudity without consent, which can cover some instances of sextortion. Additionally, extortion is generally prohibited under Wisconsin Statute § 943.30, which makes it illegal to threaten to harm the reputation of another with the intent to obtain a benefit. While there may not be a single statute that explicitly names 'sextortion,' the acts that constitute sextortion can still lead to serious criminal charges under these and other related laws in Wisconsin.