Omegle (/oʊˈmɛɡəl/oh-MEG-əl)[1] was a free, web-basedonline chat service that allowed users to socialize with others without the need to register. The service randomly paired users in one-on-one chat sessions where they could chat anonymously. It operated from 2009 to 2023.[2]
Creation
The site was created by then-18-year-old Leif K-Brooks of Brattleboro, Vermont and was launched in March 2009.[3][4] Less than a month after launch, Omegle garnered around 150,000 page views per day.[5] In March 2010, the site introduced a videotelephony feature.
Etymology
Brooks said, "I was working on a different project before Omegle, and it kept breaking due to an error from a third-party service it used. The error code wasn't documented, and I wanted a name for it, so I nicknamed it 'error code omega' because it was apocalyptic. Omegle was eventually named after that."[6]
In 2010, K-Brooks expressed disappointment over sexual content on the site.[12] While video chats were monitored to flag the IP addresses of users that showed nudity or sexual content, Omegle did not have a broadcast delay to prevent minors from viewing harmful material at the beginning of a chat.[13][14] Prior to early 2013, the site did not censor contributions through a profanity filter, and users often encountered nudity and sexual content.[12] A former user who was a child at the time reported, after it closed, her experiences with the site, saying "So. Many. Penises." and mentioning people self-harming.[15]
Originally, 13-year-olds could use the website with the permission of a parent or guardian.[16] Many local and state law enforcement agencies warned of increasing sexual exploitation of minors when Omegle's popularity surged, particularly with teenagers, during the COVID-19 lockdowns.[17][18][19]
In 2020, a Canadian teacher was arrested at his home in Guelph after he broadcast child pornography on Omegle. He pleaded guilty to several criminal charges in 2022.[20] In 2021, an Australian man was arrested at his home on the Central Coast of New South Wales after he allegedly used Omegle to advertise his search for child sex.[21]
In 2022, the rules were updated so that only those 18 or older were allowed to use the website.
Closure
At the time of its closure, Omegle faced a $22 million lawsuit, which was filed in 2019 over a user from Oregon who became a victim of child sex exploitation. In 2014, the then-11-year-old plaintiff encountered a Canadian pedophile on Omegle, who blackmailed her into digital sexual slavery. The lawsuit alleged that Omegle knowingly allowed the pairing of minors with pedophiles due to a splash screen warning that stated, "Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful". Omegle removed this warning at a later date.[22][23] The BBC published an extensive report on the role of a lawsuit and out-of-court settlement that resulted in shutting down the site.[24] The plaintiff, referred to as "A.M.", was mentioned in the Omegle's final site message saying, "I thank A.M. for opening my eyes to the human cost of Omegle." This acknowledgment and a link to the lawsuit was part of the site's settlement agreement.[24]
On November 8, 2023, K-Brooks posted an announcement describing the challenges of running the site and the ultimate decision to shut down the website.[25] Challenges listed included online exploitation of children and attacks on communication services. K-Brooks concluded that his decision revolved around internet misuse and asked users to consider donating to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to support internet users' digital rights. The lede of the announcement began with quotes by C. S. Lewis and Douglas Adams.[2][26][27]
