Disturbing Oktoberfest trend sees women handed free cycling shorts after videos rack up millions of views

Key Points:

• Over 32,000 voyeuristic videos of women on the Teufelsrad ride at Germany's Oktoberfest have circulated online, some garnering millions of views, raising serious privacy concerns.
• Women attending Oktoberfest have been given free cycling shorts by the Teufelsrad operator to prevent upskirting, a practice illegal in Germany but difficult to fully control due to widespread smartphone use.
• Investigations revealed that some videos are commercially exploited by professional YouTubers, with one woman reportedly earning €9,000 from a single clip, and some images digitally altered to appear nude.
• Authorities have increased enforcement, including arrests and a poster campaign warning against upskirting, while Munich has tightened filming restrictions at Oktoberfest, requiring permits for commercial content creation.
• Campaigners argue current German upskirting laws are insufficient, as they only cover filming directly under skirts, not images captured when skirts fly up, prompting calls for new legislation and stricter penalties for offenders and hosting platforms.