Omegle bids good bye after 14 years

Omegle has officially shut down after it was launched in 2009.

RIP Omegle

Stress and expense from different factors led to the closing of Omegle

In a statement, founder Leif K-Brooks explained the reason behind the decision to close down the free online chat platform.

In recent years, it seems like the whole world has become more ornery. Maybe that has something to do with the pandemic, or with political disagreements. Whatever the reason, people have become faster to attack, and slower to recognize each other’s shared humanity. One aspect of this has been a constant barrage of attacks on communication services, Omegle included, based on the behavior of a malicious subset of users, he said.

The founder said the stress and expense of this fight–coupled with the existing stress and expense of operating Omegle, and fighting its misuse–were already overwhelming.

He said operating the site is no longer sustainable financially and psychologically, even saying that he didn't want to have a heart attack in his 30s.

While Omegle lost the battle, the war against the Internet continues, he said.

Virtually every online communication service has been subject to the same kinds of attack as Omegle; and while some of them are much larger companies with much greater resources, they all have their breaking point somewhere, he said.

I worry that, unless the tide turns soon, the Internet I fell in love with may cease to exist, and in its place, we will have something closer to a souped-up version of TV – focused largely on passive consumption, with much less opportunity for active participation and genuine human connection, he added.

The founder ended his statement by thanking those who used Omegle for positive purposes, and everyone who contributed to the site's success.

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Source: Omegle