Live video chat site Omegle, which enjoyed a huge boost during the COVID-19 pandemic but was criticized as a breeding ground for sex offenders, has announced it is shutting down after 14 years.
How Omegle works is simple: we connect to the website, open our webcam, and the platform randomly sends us another person to chat.
During the health crisis, the platform enabled many people to break their isolation. Content creators have also used it for costumes (cosplay), exchanges between polyglots, live music shows, or even to popularize diseases such as alopecia.
However, the site is very popular among young people who are not immune from coming into contact with people with malicious intentions. According to the British broadcaster BBC, Omegle has been mentioned in more than 50 cases against pedophiles in the last two years.
A platform conducive to exhibitionism
According to critics, the Omegle platform has come under fire over the years for becoming a breeding ground for child pornography and other abuse.
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Omegle is a website that bills itself as a platform for “talking to strangers,” but critics say it is a haven for underage sex offenders.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Rudy Gauer
TikTok channels also used the platform as bait to trap potential pedophiles. Some have been closed by the social network for failing to comply with its terms of service.
The site’s shutdown comes about a week after Omegle settled a lawsuit accusing Omegle of connecting an 11-year-old user with a sex offender, court documents show.
This lawsuit, filed in an Oregon court in 2021, is part of a long line of similar disputes that Omegle has faced.
Virtually any tool can be used for good or evil.
There can be no honest review of Omegle without acknowledging that some people have abused it, including to commit crimes of unspeakable atrocity, the Omegle founder said.
According to him, running the site is no longer financially or psychologically sustainable.
Brooks founded Omegle in 2009 when he was 18 years old. That same year, a 17-year-old Russian founded a similar platform, Chatroulette, which is still online.
Not only have recordings of Omegle videos gained millions of daily users over the years, but they are also widely shared on YouTube and social media platforms like TikTok.
As of Thursday morning, Omegle’s website remained live with Brooks’ statement, but the online video chat feature was no longer visible.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank the people who have used Omegle for positive purposes and everyone who has contributed in any way to the success of the site. I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep fighting for you, we can read that there.
The torn canvas
As of Thursday afternoon, the Omegle hashtag on TikTok had 11.5 billion views.
David, a French influencer who runs the YouTube and TikTok channels La vie en soon, frequently used the Omegle platform to raise awareness of his illness: alopecia.
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@lavie_enchauve
You’ve probably already seen the news: the Omegle platform where we were able to meet is shutting down. I started this video format on TikTok 2 years ago to raise awareness of my illness, alopecia. As I prepare this video, I truly realize what we have achieved together. I’m grateful to everyone I was able to talk to (except the ones who wanted me to throw a blanket behind me haha). Because of my past, I’m a shy person by nature, but talking to you gave me confidence, so thank you. Remember that the adventure continues. I can’t wait to share the rest with you ❤️
♬ Original sound – La Vie En Chauve
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He posted a video about the site’s closure on Thursday and said he was grateful for every person he was with. [il a] was able to chat on the platform, which gave him confidence.
I started this video format on TikTok two years ago with the aim of raising awareness of my illness, alopecia. As I prepare this video, I truly realize what we have achieved together.
He reassured his fans (1.6 million on TikTok alone) by mentioning that he would continue his work, but without giving details about the version of his next interventions.
Ryan Hale, an American polyglot who has 2.1 million subscribers on TikTok, based his career as an influencer on surprising other internet users on the Omegle platform.
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He still had not responded to the platform’s shutdown as of Thursday afternoon and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Radio-Canada.
With information from BBC and Associated Press