One aspect of kompromat that stands the test of time is that the compromising information is often sexual in nature. More contemporary forms of kompromat appear as a form of cybercrime. In the early days, kompromat featured doctored photographs, planted drugs, grainy videos of liaisons with prostitutes hired by the KGB, and a wide range of other primitive entrapment techniques. The origins of the term in Russian trace back to 1930s secret police jargon. It refers to disparaging information that can be collected, stored, traded, or used strategically across all domains: political, electoral, legal, professional, judicial, media, and business. The term kompromat is a borrowing of the Russian KGB slang term компромат from the Stalin era, which is short for 'compromising material' ( Russian: компрометирующий материал, romanized: komprometiruyushchy material).
