ALBAWABA - Popular video chat website, Omegle has officially been shut down which operated from 2009 to 2023.
Founder Leif K-Brooks confirmed the news in a heartfelt letter which can be seen on Omegle's official website. The moment we clicked on the website, we were presented with a tombstone with Omegle and the operation dates carved on it.
Omegle was a free-to-use website where strangers typed in their interests and video-chatted with each other worldwide. It later became a trend with YouTubers and streamers alike as it was what a person would call, a content haven.
Many popular YouTubers would take to Omegle for content creation including the talented guitarist, The Doo, Bosnov with his hilarious interactions with strangers, and more!
Why did Omegle shut down?
(Bosnov official YouTube channel)
Founder Leif K-Brooks said in the statement that he is no longer able to operate the website for financial and psychological reasons as more regulators around the world are criticizing social media platforms.
Omegle has been in deep waters for a while now since a young American girl accused the website of pairing her with a pedophile adding salt to the injury. The lawsuit on Omegle came a decade later in November 2021 as the girl raised it then.
Brooks added in the statement:
"There can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes."
He also stated:
"As much as I wish circumstances were different, the stress and expense of this fight - coupled with the existing stress and expense of operating Omegle, and fighting its misuse - are simply too much," Mr Brooks said.
"Frankly, I don't want to have a heart attack in my 30s."
You can view the full statement on Omegle's official website here.
According to the BBC, Omegle has faced more than 50 cases against pedophiles including in countries like the USA, the UK, and Australia. To put it simply, Children were exposing themselves to strangers on the platform.
