2023-11-09 21:14:39
The video chat application Omegle is ending its activities on Thursday, following 14 years of existence, due to multiple complaints by victims of online sexual abuse.
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This service, which quickly became popular with young people during the pandemic, made it possible to connect virtually, randomly, with strangers around the world. This free application was accessible to children aged 13 with parental authorization. However, the dark side of the platform has quickly emerged in recent years, notably to commit “heinous crimes”, announced the founder of Omegle, Leif K-Brooks, in a written letter shared on the application. This site made it possible to put minors in contact with sexual predators.
The Omegle founder also added that the “anxiety and expansion of this battle over some people’s misuse of the app” has become too demanding and difficult for him. “Running Omegle is now no longer sustainable, neither financially nor psychologically,” he says.
The announcement of Omegle’s closure comes days following a civil lawsuit seeking $22 million from Omegle was filed in an Oregon court. An 11-year-old girl allegedly found herself in a video chat with an adult man forcing her to engage in sexual acts online for three years before he was arrested by police, according to The Washington Post.
A Virginia man was also reportedly sentenced to 16 years in prison in August for secretly filming hundreds of explicit videos on Omegle while chatting with “at least” 1,000 underage girls.
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