Video chat service Omegle shuts down following years of user abuse claims

Omegle, a video chat service that connects users with strangers at random, is shutting down after 14 years following ample misuse of the platform – particularly the sexual abuse of minors. — AP

NEW YORK: Omegle, a video chat service that connects users with strangers at random, is shutting down after 14 years following ample misuse of the platform – particularly the sexual abuse of minors.

In a lengthy statement announcing the site's closure, founder Leif K-Brooks reflected on how Omegle was meant to connect people worldwide and “build on the things I loved about the Internet”. But, he added that a dark side of the platform emerged.