to think that if I shared an explicit picture of myself with a stranger and then they used that to blackmail to release client information, I would be sacked?

[cakeorwine]

I guess people know what we are talking about.

William Wragg: Jeremy Hunt praises MP's apology over dating app incident - BBC News

If you send an explicit picture of yourself to a stranger, you are asking for danger.

If I did that and I was blackmailed into releasing personal information on other people, I would be sacked,

But hey, it's an accident. Nothing to see here.

And as for MPs who then were contacted by a stranger and then sent their own explicit pictures, what is there to say?

I don't know what his motivation would be but are WW and charlie/abi one and the same?
I mean, the story makes no sense.
Marina Hyde in the Guardian describes it as developing.
Just a thought. Had a glass of wine so may be adding 2+3 and making 4976.

It really depends on the job, the context and innumerable other factors.

So no, it's not a given that you would be sacked.

There are employment policies and procedures and also nuance.

Blackmail is a criminal offence but not always one that is easy to report.

I was sexually assaulted by someone that in my line of work, I should not have put myself in the position to be assaulted by.

But I fucked up, and i did and they threatened me and controlled and further assaulted me for months because they knew that I wouldn't report them because it was my fuck up in the beginning that allowed it to happen.

And even though they knew the law and my employer would be on my side, they also knew I felt so ashamed that I wouldn't want to ever report it and go through the humiliation of having to tell people what they did to me and how it was all my fault that I put myself in that position.

What ended up happening was my employer heard a rumour but not a complaint, which I was questioned about and it was investigated and I was seen as a victim and was encouraged to report it to the Police. Which I didn't because of the shame, trauma and humiliation.

But it did stop him being able to further abuse me.

Lots of things happen that aren't as clear cut as we would like them to be.

Charlie/Abi are the blackmailer who got people's phone numbers from Wragg, then used them to try (successfully in a couple of cases) to get compromising pictures from the other people too.

He says pics he sent. How would blackmail work the other way round?

If he was sent pictures of someone who then purported to be a minor ?

Would it be quicker to say he is a male Tory MP?

Then don't be so naive and send intimate pictures.

Which is a lesson that should be taught at school.

When you are in an important position, you have a responsibility to be careful.

Especially with material that could be used to blackmail you

I agree with noblegiraffe that sending explicit pictures is really quite normal, and not immoral.

However, when you are an MP or someone else who would be particularly vulnerable to blackmail, you need to exercise a much greater degree of care than the average member of the public. Sending intimate pictures to a stranger, when you’re a Member of Parliament, is particularly reckless.

I do think it’s a significant error of judgment given his position. Perhaps not one worthy of punishment on its own, but leaking other MPs details to a known blackmailer, even under duress, strikes me as a severe issue.

Exactly.

It's a major error of judgement.
It's not immoral.
But it's incredibly naive and he has opened himself up to compromise

And if anyone in a position of responsibility had made an error of judgement that led to them compromising themselves and others, then action should be taken.

normal

adjective

1. 1.
2. conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.
3. "it's quite normal for puppies to bolt their food"

I don't consider sending photos of genitals to strangers normal.

and teenagers do many many stupid things - they are not the standard I hold myself or others to, certainly not my MPs

⬆️ this! Surely leaking information is gross misconduct? He should be sacked.

That's a moral judgement and not one that holds any particular authority here.

I agree with noblegiraffe that sending explicit pictures is really quite normal, and not immoral.

I think you need to qualify this with 'as an adult'.

Clearly he opened himself up to compromise. He isn't the first and he won't be the last.

I strongly doubt it is only Tory MPs who are sending dick pics to people too.

I agree. Taking risks for himself is stupid. But giving other people’s information to a known blackmailer is disgraceful.

It's NOT about morals.

It's about someone in a responsible position doing something that could and in fact did compromise himself.

And he then compromised others - but he was the person in a responsible position who put himself in a position.

Maybe he was groomed? Maybe he was persuaded to do something stupid.

I hope he has sympathy now for other people, especially teenagers, who do something incredibly stupid, especially after being groomed, even though they should have thought about the consequences. I am sure that's what "Common sense" tells you - think about the potential consequences of your actions.

It's NOT about morals.

I was responding to Wombling who was definitely making it about morals.

That is exactly what I was thinking.

And that's what YOU think.

Reverse it and post a thread saying "isn't it ABnormal to send nude pics to other people" and you'd get a multitude of responses saying no as in, using the definition you posted, it is standard, typical or expected - to a lot of people, particularly on certain sites.

It doesn't mean it's a great thing to do or standard, or expected by everyone, just that it is to a lot.

You thinking it's not normal doesn't mean that it isn't extremely common and 'typical'. It is.

I thought people were advised not to advertise their work on dating apps when it was government

Wouldn't that apply for Grindr?

Like sure, send pics if you want but keep your occupation vague until you have met in person, and can be pretty sure what will happen (or rather not) before trading your genital snaps?

I seem to be largely agreeing with most people on the thread that he shouldn't have responded to blackmail and should have gone to the police.

Why people seem to think I've gone mad because I don't think it's immoral for gay men to exchange dick pics on Grindr is rather beyond me.

I think that should go without saying, particularly in the context of the thread.

Not many people have said it's immoral.

Do you think it showed a complete lack of judgement for someone in a very responsible position to send explicit pictures to a stranger?

If a professional had done this, and this then led to them being blackmailed, I am sure there would be professional consequences.

Why people seem to think I've gone mad because I don't think it's immoral for gay men to exchange dick pics on Grindr is rather beyond me.

I think its a case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should' when in a position where you could be easily blackmailed ?

Please tell me where I speak about morality.

I am clear I do not think it is normal - it is my opinion. The opinion that you earlier called 'stupid'

I question whether a majority of the adult population would think it was normal - you says that's a matter of age and quote a minority of teenagers actions at me.

I make no claims of authority on the subject - but you hold no greater authority than I do.