Even if you never used Omegle, you’d probably heard about its sketchy reputation. | Image: Omegle
Omegle, a popular video chat service that randomly connects users with strangers, has shut down after 14 years amid misuse of the platform and increased scrutiny by online safety regulators. In a lengthy statement announcing the closure, website founder Leif K Brooks said that operating Omegle is “no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically,” and that fighting to prevent it from being misused is “simply too much.” While the website remains live to host Brook’s statement, its anonymous video chat function is no longer accessible.
Omegle gained a reputation as a breeding ground for sexual abuse of minors, leading to a prominent lawsuit in which the website was accused of pairing an 11-year-old girl with a sexual predator. The…