More than 1,400 women in Denmark have been secretly filmed in changing rooms, at beaches, and while using toilets at festivals, with the footage shared and rated in online forums that TV 2’s new documentary “Jagten på creeps” has now exposed.
Women in Denmark are being filmed without their knowledge in places most of us use every week. Changing rooms at H&M or Fitness World. Public beaches along the coast. Festival toilets at Roskilde and Smukfest. The bathroom at a café. These are not isolated incidents by lone perverts. TV 2’s investigative team spent months inside Danish language online communities where so called creepshooters systematically share, rate and discuss secret recordings of women going about their daily lives.
The scale is staggering. Over 1,400 Danish women have been identified as victims so far, according to the documentary and tabloid coverage that followed its release in mid June. Many only discover the abuse when friends recognise them on porn sites or encrypted messaging channels. Some never find out at all. The footage often zooms in on breasts, legs or underwear. Women are filmed peeing, showering, undressing. Their faces are visible. Comments underneath are explicitly sexual.
This Affects Expats Too
If you are a woman living in Denmark, you are at risk in exactly the same way Danish women are. The men doing this do not check passports before hitting record. You use the same gyms, the same beaches, the same public changing rooms. But as a foreigner you may be less aware of where to report such crimes or what Danish law actually says about secret filming.
Language barriers matter here. Filing a police report is stressful enough without worrying whether your Danish is good enough. Some expat women, especially those on temporary visas or asylum seeker permits, fear drawing attention to themselves by going to the police. That hesitation is exactly what allows this abuse to continue unchecked.
Danish Law Exists But Enforcement Lags
Denmark does have laws against this. Non consensual filming in situations where someone expects privacy, like toilets and changing rooms, is a criminal offence under the Danish Criminal Code. So is sharing intimate images without consent. Penalties can reach up to three years in prison in serious cases.
The problem is not the law. The problem is enforcement. These forums operate anonymously, often on encrypted platforms with servers outside Denmark. Police cybercrime units are stretched thin. Tracking down perpetrators requires cross border cooperation, digital forensics expertise and time that investigators often do not have. Many offenders currently act with impunity because they know the odds of being caught are low.
A 2022 case involving a young woman called Kristine shows what happens when someone is caught. Four teenage boys secretly filmed her during sex and shared the video. She described two years of shame, fear of being recognised, difficulty forming relationships. The boys were convicted but sentences were relatively mild. That case involved identifiable perpetrators. Most creepshooting victims never even get that far.
What You Can Do
If you discover footage of yourself online, document everything before it disappears. Take screenshots, save URLs, note usernames and timestamps. Then file a report with Danish police, either at a station or via their website which has English options. Expats with residence permits or EU citizenship have the same legal rights as Danes.
You can also contact victim support organisations like Dansk Stalking Center or local crisis centres, though English language capacity varies. If you suspect hidden cameras in a gym or shop, complain to management first. If nothing changes, report it to Datatilsynet, the Danish Data Protection Agency, which oversees surveillance rules.
A Broader Pattern of Digital Violence
Denmark has dealt with digital sexual offences before. The so called Umbrella case around 2015 saw over 1,000 young people charged for sharing a video of two 15 year olds having sex. That led to stronger laws and more public awareness. But creepshooting is different. These are strangers filming women in public and semi public spaces, not teens sharing nudes sent voluntarily.
Similar scandals have emerged across Europe in Sweden, Germany and the UK. This is not a uniquely Danish problem. It is part of a broader trend of voyeuristic abuse enabled by cheap cameras, smartphones and encrypted apps. EU level discussions on the Digital Services Act and violence against women legislation may eventually force platforms to act faster. But for now, enforcement is still catching up.
I have lived in Denmark long enough to know that this country takes gender equality seriously in many areas. But digital spaces remain a wild west where enforcement struggles to keep pace with technology. Women here deserve better. So do expat women who chose Denmark expecting safety and respect. The laws exist. Now police and politicians need to make them work.
