After 14 years, the chat platform shuts down amid controversy.

Omegle was a free online chat platform that would randomly place one user with another, either in a video call or a text chat. Both video calls and text chats left users anonymous- referring to the user as “You” and their randomly selected partner as “Stranger”. Omegle did not require users to create an account, but it did record the IP addresses of all its users. 

Omegle was first launched in spring 2009 by Leif K-Brooks, and quickly began picking up popularity. While originally just a texting app, the ability to do video calls was added roughly a year later. However, with this feature came safety issues for the users.

In 2021, Omegle was sued by a 19-year-old woman, A.M., from Oregon for how Omegle aided in child exploitation by giving a platform for it to happen. Matches between users were completely random and done so without a filter, so children on the app were commonly matched with adults. A.M. sued for $22 million for the abuse she suffered through Omegle when she was 11. The lawsuit stated that “As a result of the abuse of children, Omegle benefited financially, knowingly and without legal authority.” The case was settled out of court on Nov. 2. On Nov. 8, Omegle was officially shut down.

While A.M. v. Omegle was the final blow, it did not contain the only instance of child abuse via the site. According to the lawsuit, Omegle stated “Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful” on its homepage up until May 2021. However, according to Brooks, Omegle did more than just warn its users. On the message that is now the Omegle homepage, Brooks stated, “Omegle worked with law enforcement agencies, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to help put evildoers in prison where they belong.” 

But despite moderation efforts, Omegle could not juggle the safety of its millions of daily users. “Operating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially or psychologically,” Brooks said. He ends the message with, “I thank A.M. for opening my eyes to the human cost of Omegle.” Omegle has shut down after 14 years of service.

By Theodore Hennings