Omegle shuts down after 15 years due to increasing platform misuse

Omegle, a widely used random chat service established in 2009, has announced it will cease operations due to increasing platform misuse. Leif K-Brooks, the founder, stated that running the website is “no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically”.

Brooks acknowledged the misuse of Omegle in his statement, mentioning that the platform has been used for committing severe and “unspeakably heinous crimes”. He also hinted at a consistent onslaught of attacks on communication services like Omegle by a “malicious subset of users”, without providing specific incidents.

In his closing remarks, Brooks expressed his regret over the situation, stating, “Unfortunately, what is right doesn’t always prevail.” He cited the financial and psychological stress of combating platform misuse and maintaining the service as overwhelming. Brooks also expressed concern over his health, stating, “Frankly, I don’t want to have a heart attack in my 30s.”

Brooks concluded by encouraging donations to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in the digital world.