Omegle has been around for 14 years now, being founded way back in 2009. After a glorious run of over a decade, the popular video chat service that allowed users to chat with random people online has shut down. Omegle founder Leif K-Brooks has updated the platform to post a farewell note, citing all the things that drove him and his team to pull the plug. Users will see this post instead of the usual Omegle interface when they visit the website now.
So, Why Did Omegle Shut Down?
On November 9, 2023, Brooks shared a detailed post to reveal that Omegle is officially shutting down. In this note, he specifically stated how people have been using the platform to “commit unspeakably heinous crimes.” Omegle saw a major rise in its user base during the pandemic, being a hit with mostly teenagers. However, it is not just teenagers that were using Omegle. The service could be accessed by children as well, of any age group. This automatically allowed certain bad actors to take to the platform, like the Virginia man case.
Brooks further revealed how “Omegle’s moderation even had a positive impact beyond the site. Omegle worked with law enforcement agencies, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, to help put evildoers in prison where they belong. There are “people” rotting behind bars right now thanks in part to evidence that Omegle proactively collected against them, and tipped the authorities off to.”
Further, he goes on to say how the lack of a moral compass in some of these users who used the platform for malicious deeds has led to the platform getting attacked left, right, and center. In a way, from the looks of it, this abuse of Omegle is what seems to be the primary reason for its shutdown.
Due to the raging safety concerns of using the platform, Brooks finally says how, “Operating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically. Frankly, I don’t want to have a heart attack in my 30s.” So yeah, the popular video chat service is going offline after fourteen years! Did you ever use Omegle? Binge-watched Omegle trolling or singing videos on YouTube? Many of us did, but that era has finally come to an end.
