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Germany Moves to Outlaw Digital Voyeurism as Justice Minister Orders Draft Law

The federal justice ministry is preparing a bill in response to a Cologne case that exposed a loophole on covert recordings.

Overview

  • Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said her ministry is examining how to criminally regulate digital voyeurism and aims to present a practicable draft law quickly.
  • North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg will seek support at Friday’s justice ministers’ conference to criminalize covert recordings of clothed intimate areas and certain non‑contact sexual harassment.
  • A Länder majority for the proposal has not yet formed, with reservations reported particularly from opposition‑led states.
  • Current law already bans upskirting under Section 184k of the Criminal Code, but many secret recordings of clothed intimate areas remain outside criminal liability.
  • The push follows Yanni Gentsch’s widely viewed case and a petition with over 130,000 supporters, with reports that she plans to attend the Leipzig conference to press the issue.