Omegle, a virtual chat platform has shut down after facing concerns of sexual abuse of children on Nov. 8. Omegle was launched 14 years ago as a way for strangers to connect via video chat to meet new people across the world. Omegle selectively pairs strangers together based on their shared interests.
According to a statement released from the founder of Omegle, Leif K-Brooks, the site was “was meant to build on the things I loved about the Internet, while introducing a form of social spontaneity that I felt didn’t exist elsewhere.”Omegle has received recent criticism for being a platform used by sexual predators and according to BBC, Omegle has “been mentioned in more than 50 cases against pedophiles in the last couple of years.”
Shortly after Omegle’s shutdown, Brooks explained how the situation was perhaps too much to bear all at once.
“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,” Brooks said.