back to article German mayor's browser tabs catch him with trousers down

A German mayor has been left red faced after he posted online a screenshot of his browser without noticing open window tabs with adult material. Thomas Köppl grabbed the screenshot on his iPad with his main browser window showing a Wikipedia page about the German Constitution and posted it on his Facebook page as part of a …

  1. Bob Gender

    Gefangenmasturbierendurcheinenscreenshotveröffentlichen.

    1. Bob Vistakin
      Facepalm

      Didn't Watergate teach politicians anything?

      It's never the crime that gets you, it's always the cover up.

      1. emmanuel goldstein

        So fucking what?

        Shock horror - man watches porn in hotel room.

        1. channel extended

          Re: So fucking what?

          Manny, I wish I could give 2600 up votes ;)

          1. PhilipN Silver badge

            Re: So fucking what?

            Well said Big Bro

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: So fucking what?

            And at least he didn't try to claim it on expenses!!!!

        2. John Tserkezis

          Re: So fucking what?

          "Shock horror - man watches porn in hotel room."

          Even better, a city mayor watches porn in hotel room, and then fails to convincingly convince his constituents it was just an accident.

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          If he wasn't a politician ...

          ... I would have believed him.

          About his connection being slow, I mean.

        4. Pookietoo

          Re: So fucking what?

          It's the lying to save face (and how feeble the lies were) that is the problem. Plus the stupidity that created the situation in the first place.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: So fucking what?

            bit like the MP (can't remember who it was) a few years ago caught out on Hampstead heath. Said he was Badger watching!

            1. wikkity

              Re: can't remember who it was

              Ron Davies

        5. rtb61

          Why just Why?

          So you go on holidays overseas to watch porn in your hotel room, why just why? Kind of seems like a waste of money.

        6. Dazed and Confused

          Re: So fucking what?

          > Shock horror - man watches porn in hotel room.

          He's a politician, he should have blamed it on his wife and quickly claimed for it on expenses.

        7. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So fucking what?

          'cept, thinking about this. Viewing porn might not be such a big story. Being stupid enough to leave it on display in a screen shot. Well...

        8. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: So fucking what? @emmanuel goldstein

          >Shock horror - man watches porn in hotel room.

          Not shocking on its own but just ask yourself who will be paying the bill for his mobile phone. Now ask yoursefl if you'd be happy to pay the roaming charges for your mayor/MP/whatever to watch any kind of video for his/her personal pleasure.

          1. The First Dave

            @ roaming charges

            Most hotels have WiFi, so neither data charges nor roaming charges are likely.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: @ roaming charges

              Maybe I read the article wrong

              >But the screenshot showed him using an Italian mobile company

              There's also an helpful picture with what looks to be a download icon, now when I'm using wifi on my phone that disappears.

              So, I'm inclined to believe that even if he was in his hotel room he wouldn't have given two hoots about asking for the wifi access details. I think you are putting too much faith in what he said, what he's technologically capable of and whether he cares.

            2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

              Re: @ roaming charges

              "Most hotels have WiFi, so neither data charges nor roaming charges are likely."

              Either it didn't, or he wasn't clever ebough to work out how to connect. He was in Tyrol near the Italian border and connected to an Italian service as stated in the article.

              Another reason he didn't connect to hotel WiFi might be that he doesn't pay for the mobile so has no personal financial incentive to identify and use the cheapest option. It's only tax payers money after all.

      2. Steve Knox

        Re: Didn't Watergate teach politicians anything?

        What crime?

  2. Evil Auditor Silver badge
    Happy

    Why can't such weasels just say: "sure, I watch porn on my holiday. So what?!" But instead make it worse and funnier. Thank you, Thomas Köppl.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Excuse

      or be honest and say "I wanted to learn new ways to scr*w the voters"?

    2. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Society conditions us to lie. People watch porn yet few admit it. The gutter press will make mischief (in many cases whilst also publishing porn) and it's very hard for a politician to survive that.

      This, of course, makes it really easy to blackmail people if you know their browsing history. Something that Hoover and his successors would never do so there's no chance of anything going wrong with mass surveillance at all.

      1. Pookietoo

        Re: it's very hard for a politician to survive that.

        That depends where he's a politician - I get the impression that French and Italians would shrug this sort of thing off, and have a laugh about it.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: it's very hard for a politician to survive that.

          Yes, I'd really wish Italian politicians just watched porn and nothing more... instead they go far beyond.

    3. Potemkine Silver badge

      I had a quick look: this guy's party is the CDU , not the most open-minded one regarding sexuality.

      Once again it shows the total hypocrisy of these prudish sermonisers.

  3. Red Sceptic

    " ... when I got to my room I wanted to get clued-up."

    Nice turn of phrase - not heard it called that before.

    Direct translation, maybe?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Gimp

      It's the safe word.

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        Obgligatory xkcd...

        1. Sandtitz Silver badge
    2. GrumpenKraut

      Original appears to be "...hab ich mich mal schlau machen wollen.". The translation parses for me, and I have seen "clued-up" before.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    He was probably 'Link-Jacked'

    Thats the excuse i give the wife. I keep getting Link-Jacked all the time!

  5. Ali Um Bongo
    Facepalm

    Sprechen Zie Deutsche?

    *"...He deleted it and claimed someone else had taken it...."*

    *"...he was only doing some research after he overheard a conversation about the site xHamsters while on a ski-lift..."*

    *"...he didn't actually watch any of the videos – because his internet connection was too slow..."*

    *"...he was reading a Wikipedia page about the novel Fifty Shades of Grey and wanted to look up what "BDSM" meant..."*

    Does anyone know the German for "When in a hole... stop digging"?

    This guy sounds like the kind of person who limps, bow-legged and red-faced into Casualty and whispers "I was up a step-ladder vacuuming cleaning in the nude... "

    *"...They were mentioning the site 'xHamster,' and when I got to my room I wanted to get clued-up..."*

    Typo alert. You spelt "glued" wrong.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: Sprechen Zie Deutsche?

      "Does anyone know the German for "When in a hole... stop digging"?"

      One variant would be "Zieh' den Fuß aus der Scheiße!" - (not safe in some invironments).

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This reminds me of the time I fell asleep at my computer and accidentally typed midget porn wrestling with my head.

    Well played Thomas Köppl, I salute you for even trying to come up with such a shit excuse.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Very worrying

    Who other than a German would go on holiday, obviously get a bit drunk, harmlessly look at a bit of pr0n on the Internets and then get all kinky and start browsing the German Constitution?

    1. Martin Summers Silver badge

      Re: Very worrying

      He probably recites it angrily while participating in the acts he was 'researching'.

    2. John Tserkezis

      Re: Very worrying

      "obviously get a bit drunk"

      Of all the things he *did* claim, being drunk was not one of them.

      Ironically, it would have probably helped his cause.

  8. The Bobster

    Should've used the Private Browsing excuse, "I was shopping for a birthday gift for my wife!"

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    South Tyrol

    South Tyrol is not "near the Italian border", it is actually in Italy:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Tyrol

    And "WIND" is one of the Italian mobile operators.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: South Tyrol

      Beat me to it, have an upvote... South Tyrol was part of Austria until the end of WW I. East Tyrol and Tyrol proper (sometimes referred to as North Tyrol) are part of Austria. There is NO West Tyrol, mainly because Switzerland is sort of in the way.

      Although technically South Tyrol is near the Italian border, but I know what you mean and you are right of course.

  10. x 7

    could have been worse - xguineapigs rather than xhamsters

    as for "punishing German sluts"

    maybe he was thinking of what to do with Chancellor Merckel

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      1. "Merkel"

      2. He's in the same political party as Merkel (CDU). Basically the German version of the Tories. So no real surprise there, innit?

      1. Ali Um Bongo
        Thumb Up

        Patriotic Plonker Pulling

        *"...He's in the same political party as Merkel (CDU). Basically the German version of the Tories..."*

        Hence his commendable and principled quest for good home-grown "German Sluts". If he'd been one of those damned pinko socialists he'd doubtless have been trawling the web for tawdry "Illegal Immigrant Sluts".

        1. Bongwater

          Re: Patriotic Plonker Pulling

          I would pay to watch "illegal immigrant sluts" as long as they leave when their green cards expire, otherwise we are breaking laws and being naughty.

          1. x 7

            Re: Patriotic Plonker Pulling

            "illegal immigrant sluts"

            Isn't that a German job agency?

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. This post has been deleted by its author

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        So no real surprise there, innit?

        So no real surprise there, innit?

        There is - it was adult heterosexual porn. Not something I would expect from a t**y equivalent.

  11. Captain TickTock
    Coat

    It's an I WIND...

    .. that blows nobody any good...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's an I WIND...

      I think if he had gotten blown he wouldn't have been on the internet at all.

  12. Kaorukun

    The embodiment of a cuck

  13. JeffyPoooh
    Pint

    I bought a used iPad last summer...

    I've just washed it again.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    zwei Mädchen eine Schale?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Naughty mayor...obviously needs a spanking. He's been a bad boy etc.

  16. Chozo
    Gimp

    Seems legit

    No connoisseur of BDSM would ever use xHamster.

  17. Graham Marsden

    I was going to say "So what"...

    ... however a look at the ideology of the Alternative for Germany party, they're centre-right Conservatives, oppose gay marriage and have been accused of using language that is very similar to that of the far-right.

    So it seems that he's another "do as I say, not as I do" hypocrite.

    Oh and a couple of little corrections for Kieren McCarthy: BDSM is comes from Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and submission and Sadism and Masochism and as for "Basically, if you're watching someone in leather tied up and being sexually humiliated, you've found BDSM", that's a very narrow generalisation of what is an incredibly broad topic which involves a lot more than just leather or sexual humiliation.

    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: I was going to say "So what"...

      Thomas Köppl is a member of the CDU, (CDU homepage), which of course doesn't mean that he's not a hypocrite.

      However, Köppl is available for a personal meeting, provided you contact his office to arrange an appointment.

      On the subject ot the AfD: don't even get me started, that'd be a post deleted by a moderator for sure.

    2. Gravis Ultrasound

      Re: I was going to say "So what"...

      The German Guy was attacking AfD, the German Guy is a member of CDU, the party led by Ms Merkel...the woman who lost the plot on immigration.

    3. Captain Badmouth
      Pint

      Leather?

      http://assets.yandycdn.com/Products/CC_01509_60682_couples_CST2015.jpg

      No connection etc....

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Think he's explaining it the wrong way round ... he saw the way the german slut was being punished and wanted to check to see if that was permitted under the German Constitution as otherwise it would be his civic duty as a Mayor to file a complaint with the German Constitutional court.

  19. Tezfair
    Holmes

    language

    Seems odd that all the tabs in in English yet he's a German. Don't they have German sites over there?

    1. GrumpenKraut
      Angel

      Re: language

      > Don't they have German sites over there?

      No, absolutely none.

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
        Angel

        Re: language

        No really, none whatsoever. Honestly.

    2. x 7

      Re: language

      " Don't they have German sites over there?"

      he was only looking at the pictures, they're multilingual

    3. Lars Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: language

      Just proves he gets along with two languages.

      1. TRT Silver badge

        Re: language

        He wishes he was a cunning linguist.

    4. Kubla Cant

      Re: language

      Seems odd that all the tabs in in English yet he's a German.

      Boring answer: "GRATIS" suggests that the xHamster tab isn't in English, else it would probably say "FREE". The other tabs were probably launched from xHamster and show the titles of the videos. I don't think porn video suppliers are big on localisation.

  20. Bibbit

    Amateur

    Probably did not even use Incognito mode either. I blame the electorate for voting in someone with such feeble peccadillo-hiding skills.

  21. Dan 55 Silver badge
    Coat

    Last two tabs

    Don't jump to conclusions, it's the latest polls showing the voting intention for the CDU and coalition parties.

  22. skeptical i
    Pint

    the upside

    Herr Koppl's future press conferences, campaign stops, and other events will no doubt be attended by voters in more ... interesting ... attire. [*whipcrack*] The signage should be pretty good too.

    1. x 7

      Re: the upside

      he'll be fine.

      I bet he can hold his own at any press conference

    2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

      Re: the upside

      Apparently his term ends on 2016-10-31 - so yes, there will be a campaign (I've first typed that as campaingn, I wonder why, but it didin't look right) in the late summer / fall. If his party will put him forward as a candidate again. But as this is already his second term, he'll be entitled to a full pension from the job as mayor.

      BTW, it's about an hour's drive from Quickborn to Hamburg and its Reeperbahn. Where you can see the Beatles-Platz and visit Beatlemania, the Beatles museum. Which is the only reason why so many people go there every night, honestly.

      1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

        Re: the upside

        From your link about the Reeperbahn:

        "The hottest clubs on the Reeperbahn and Hamburger Berg open, with Irish pubs and Hans-Albers-Platz packed full of live music."

        Really, no one goes to German pubs in Germany?

        1. Ken 16 Silver badge
          Trollface

          EU Regulations

          All pubs must be Irish.

          Also airlines, cloud hosting and pharmaceuticals.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who's been a naughty boy then??

  24. Bota

    Think that's embarrassing?

    Try bringing home a German slut video from your mate at college, with the plan of: empty house+ rub n tug, and after about 30-odd minutes, your mother knocks on your door and proceeds to remind you she's fluent in German and some things probably shouldn't be shoved into certain places.

  25. Fortycoats
    Gimp

    Ein bisschen Spaß muss sein.....

    Frankly, I don't care whether he looks are porn while on holiday, or anywhere else in his private life, whatever sort (as long as it involves consenting adults), end of story. But if he was on an iPad paid for by the taxpayer, and if he was Data Roaming, well then there's a legitimate "public interest". Selbstbefriedigung auf Kosten der Steuerzahler? Das ist verboten!

    Mind you, he was probably looking at ways to "punish" the AfD leader, Frauke Petry, who came up with the crazy suggestion of shooting at immigrants trying to cross the border.

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Basically, if you're watching someone in leather tied up and being sexually humiliated, you've found BDSM"

    Seriously? FFS this site was one of the few that had a sensible view of the overreach of the extreme porn law yet one of your staff comes out with crap like that. Do yourself a favour and put that application into the Daily Heil post haste you'll be far happier among that readership.

    God forbid consenting adults get up to something in private that would make you uncomfortable. No idea if this guy is any good at representing constituents interests or not but who in the press cares about covering that. Either politicians comply with a two millenia old version of morality or they are incapable of doing the job and deserving of public humiliation, isn't it great to live in the enlightened times of the 21st century?

    1. x 7

      "deserving of public humiliation"

      maybe that's what his twist on BDSM requires, a good bit of public humiliation.

    2. Old Handle

      Maybe you're taking that line a little too seriously AC. Grated it wasn't really needed, as I expect most people here are savvy enough about the world and the things one finds on the internet to know perfectly well what "BDSM" means. But I'm not sure it sure why you see it as an attack or something. Yes it's a bit stereotypical, but surely you wouldn't claim "someone in leather tied up and being sexually humiliated" isn't an example of BDSM.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why did the last one need two tabs? Simple:

    German slut punished with harsh gangbang treatment part 1

    German slut punished with harsh gangbang treatment part 2

    Google tells me it has at least 4 parts...

  28. tkioz

    He'd have been better off laughing about it and saying "you got me, but hey, porn isn't a crime". But you know pollies, never tell the truth when a lie will do.

  29. CheesyTheClown

    Is there a website for this?

    How about a web site which offers convincing lies for people who get busted like this? I've always been a fan of "I clicked some strange thing a while back and ever since, my browser keeps automatically opening these links. I don't even notice them anymore".

  30. Captain Badmouth
    Paris Hilton

    XHamster?

    Reminds me of Morris Day visiting hospital after doing something with hamsters in an old cartoon in VIZ. (Hollywood actor inspired iirc.)

    Wot, no Paris angle?

  31. MK_E

    Obligatory Achewood:

    http://achewood.com/index.php?date=04292004

  32. TRT Silver badge

    He was doing legitimate research...

    so he could join in the "surveillance en masse" debate. At least that's what I think I heard him say.

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah, the sound of the electorate....time for a new singsong with the Lay-eee more sounding like it would in Frank Zappa (The Torture Never Stops becomes The Mayor Never Stops)

    High on a hill was a lonely mayor

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo

    Loud was the voice of the lonely mayor

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

    Folks in a town that was quite remote heard

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo

    Lusty and clear from the mayors's throat heard

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

    A prince on the bridge of an xrated site heard

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo

    Men on a router with a stronger signal heard

    Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo

    1. Dr Paul Taylor

      scansion

      I was about to up-vote you for fitting the tune, but the penultimate line has too many syllables.

  34. VulcanV5

    xkangaroo

    To be honest, I'd have done the same thing, curious as I am to know what all these X rated hamsters are. Who is breeding them, and why? I shall just have to go look on xhamster for an explanation. Or maybe it's xrabbit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: xkangaroo

      I thought xhamster was about Richard Hammond's ex. Sounded too boring to check out.

      1. x 7

        Re: xkangaroo

        if your wife catches you "reading" xhamster, you'll soon be an ex-

  35. chivo243 Silver badge

    Has to be said

    Vote Quimby!

  36. Winkypop Silver badge
    Devil

    German BDSM

    Gives a new meaning to "I was only following orders"

  37. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Thanks for the explanation...

    ...of BDSM, I was about to google it thinking it might be a derivative of ISDN, this being a technology forum

  38. Anonymous Cow Herder

    Koppl announced his mood as "tremendously annoyed...."

    ...but quite aroused."

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    So;

    He was a bit naughty, who cares unless he is one of those moralising politicos

    He was possibly a bit corrupt if it was paid for by his voters, this is uncertain

    He was a complete idiot in not ensuring everything he puts on line was how he would have wanted it to appear

    A storm in an IT-eacup

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