Oktoberfest upskirting: Thousands of illegal videos found online

Tens of thousands of allegedly illegal videos involving “upskirting” have surfaced on social media, targeting women at the Munich Oktoberfest. Research conducted by Benjamin Shultz, a doctoral student at Neu-Ulm University, identified approximately 32,000 videos on Meta platforms, with thousands more appearing on YouTube and TikTok.

The recordings primarily feature women on the “Teufelsrad,” a traditional rotating ride at the festival. Some social media accounts, many based in Asia, reportedly use these intimate videos to promote paid subscriptions and boast over 100,000 followers.

Oktoberfest official Christian Scharpf described the filming as a “sauery” (outrage). While the Teufelsrad ride provides signage prohibiting unauthorized filming and offers free cycling shorts to visitors, experts note that the responsibility for such acts lies with those who record or distribute the content.

In Germany, upskirting and downblousing have been criminal offenses since 2021 under Paragraph 184k of the Criminal Code. Perpetrators face fines or up to two years in prison. Meta stated that such content violates its community standards regarding nudity and sexual activity and is removed upon detection.