[Gordonjcp]

> threatening to have him deported to China while specifically calling out his public criticism of the CCP with a disgusting "who knows how he may be received"

I think you're overstating it a bit.

How about you tell the whole story?

[axus]

That didn't happen.

And if it did, it wasn't that bad.

And if it was, that's not a big deal.

And if it is, that's not my fault.

And if it was, I didn't mean it.

And if I did, he deserved it.

[notpushkin]

I think the fact that Daniel backpedaled and said his blackmail comment wasn't meant as blackmail doesn't really change anything.

[nunuvit]

It's not blackmail in the first place. There were no secrets to reveal since everything was published online, and it's legal to sue and report a possible crime. Speculating about the consequences doesn't make it blackmail.

[psd1]

The vast majority of neurotypical English-speaking adults would have no difficulty categorising it as a veiled threat. Note the strong consensus in this comments section.

The message has two parts - the response that X wants from Y, and the possible negative consequences for Y. The proximity of the two parts makes the implied link clear (to most people, anyway).

I assure you that 99% of judges and prosecutors would recognise this as blackmail (modulo variance in different countries' legal definitions of the crime).

[wizofaus]

I'm not sure what to believe, but the curious thing is even years later the repository in question doesn't seem to have been taken down.