Oktoberfest Scandal: Thousands of women filmed without consent, Videos sold online

Thousands of videos from the “Devil’s Wheel” (Teufelsrad) attraction at Munich’s [Oktoberfest] have appeared in recent years on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Under titles such as “Sexy Drunk Girls” or “Hot Oktoberfest Ride,” the videos show women wearing dirndl dresses, often in situations where their underwear is visible.

Until now, it was not known who was systematically filming, editing and publishing this type of content. An investigation by Bavarian public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) now shows that many of the viral videos were produced by individuals from Bavaria, as well as professional social media operators from Ukraine who used them to increase the reach of their accounts.

Millions of views and consequences for victims

The BR investigative team spoke with a woman who appeared in one of the most-watched videos, which had more than 74 million views. The footage showed her legs and underwear, while the comments were filled with insults and sexualized remarks.

“At one point, honestly, I was desperate,” she said.

According to her, men later recognized her and approached her specifically because of the video.

BR reports that a man from Bavaria is most likely responsible for that particular video, with more than ten accounts on different platforms linked to him.

The most successful videos associated with those accounts accumulated several hundred million views in total before being removed. Following inquiries from BR, some of the content was deleted. The man did not respond to questions from journalists.

Another content creator from Bavaria announced that he would no longer publish videos from the “Devil’s Wheel.”

Hundreds of videos and content sales

The investigation also led to the account of a woman from Upper Bavaria. In her videos, the camera was often pointed at women who were falling or slipping off the attraction.

In 2024, she wrote on X: “I was at Oktoberfest every day and made more than 600 videos in 18 days.”

According to BR, she offered some of the material for sale online. For several hundred euros, buyers could receive more than 500 unpublished videos.

Following questions from journalists, the controversial content was removed, and two accounts linked to her disappeared entirely.

Professional network from Ukraine

According to the Bavarian journalists’ investigation, a group of professional content creators from Ukraine had also recognized the potential of such videos long ago. They built a network with thousands of members and used footage from Oktoberfest to increase traffic to their accounts.

Some of the accounts in question used thumbnails created by combining scenes from the “Devil’s Wheel” with images from pornographic films.

Following inquiries from BR, representatives of the community said through a law firm in Munich that the disputed content had been removed. At the same time, they denied any admission of responsibility.

The investigation also found that some of the videos were offered for sale through Telegram groups. One user allegedly charged six euros per minute for videos featuring only women, while videos featuring men were considerably cheaper.

When contacted, he claimed that he had never possessed such material and had only been checking whether there was interest among potential buyers. The advertisement was subsequently removed.

Platforms reacted only after journalists’ inquiries

Google, Meta and TikTok said that, following inquiries from BR, they had removed the disputed videos and some of the accounts on which they had been posted.

The organizers of the “Devil’s Wheel” said through their lawyers that they had been trying since 2024 to prevent inappropriate filming. Signs in German and English have been placed at the attraction warning that filming under people’s clothing can have criminal-law consequences.

They said that police are called whenever there is suspicion of such conduct. Visitors are also warned over the public-address system not to film under women’s skirts.

Legal problems and loopholes

Since 2021, so-called “upskirting” — recording intimate images under someone’s clothing without their consent — has been a criminal offense in Germany. Such offenses are punishable by up to two years in prison.

However, the provision does not apply in every case. If a camera is filming the entire attraction and is not focused on intimate parts of the body, or if people are wearing shorts underneath their clothing, legal protection is often limited.

In addition, Oktoberfest is a public event where photographing and filming other people is permitted under certain circumstances. As a result, many cases fall into a legal gray area.

Josephine Ballon, director of the HateAid organization, warned that the consequences for those affected can be serious.

“It is a state of emergency accompanied by an enormous sense of loss of control and significant psychological distress,” she said.

According to her, many victims feel that institutions do not take such cases seriously enough.

Deepfake content further complicates the problem

The BR investigation also found that artificial intelligence is being used to create sexualized images of women who appeared on the “Devil’s Wheel.” One woman interviewed said that for years she had made sure to wear trousers whenever she went on the attraction.

Despite this, AI-manipulated images of her appeared online showing her without clothes. Such sexualized deepfake content is currently not explicitly punishable under German law.

German Green Party lawmaker Lena Gumnior spoke of a legal loophole: “It is particularly terrible when victims go to the police and the police have to tell them that they cannot take action because the conduct is not punishable,” she said.

Government plans tougher legislation

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice told BR that it is working on amendments to the law. Under the plans, voyeuristic recordings made through clothing, as well as sexualized AI deepfake content, would also become punishable offenses.

The draft legislation is currently undergoing coordination within the federal government and is expected to be presented to the cabinet soon.

If the amendments are adopted, some of the content that has been widely circulated from Oktoberfest in recent years could in future become subject to criminal prosecution.