Omegle

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Omegle
Logo Omegle.svg
Type of site
Available inEnglish
Founded25 March 2009 (2009-03-25)
Dissolved8 November 2023 (2023-11-08)
Country of originUnited States
OwnerOmegle.com, LLC
Created byLeif K-Brooks
IndustryInternet
Websitewww.omegle.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationNo
Current statusDiscontinued/ Shut down

Omegle (/oʊˈmɛɡəl/[1]) was a free online chat website 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 would chat anonymously using the names "You" and "Stranger". It operated from 2009 to 2023.

History[edit]

The site was created by then 18-year-old Leif K-Brooks of Brattleboro, Vermont, and was launched in March 2009.[2][3] Less than a month after launch, Omegle garnered around 150,000 page views per day.[4] In March 2010, the site introduced a videotelephony feature.

Omegle criticized the Chinese Communist Party, expressed support for the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, and added an image of the American Flag on the front page with the words "Xi Jinping sure looks like Winnie-the-Pooh" over it.[5]

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the site increased in popularity, particularly with teenagers.[6]

Originally, a 13-year-old could use the website with the permission of a parent or guardian.[7] In 2022, the rules were updated so that only those 18 or older were allowed to use the website.

On November 8, 2023, K-Brooks posted an announcement describing the challenges of running the site, and the ultimate decision to suspend the service. 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 combat misuse.

Controversies[edit]

Omegle was subject to a variety of controversies, generally surrounding illegal content, discrimination, pornography and use of the site by minors.

Prior to early 2013, the site did not censor contributions through a profanity filter, and users had reported encountering nudity or sexual content on camera.[8]

Omegle implemented a "monitored" video chat, to monitor misbehavior and protect people under the age of 18 from potentially harmful content, including nudity or sexual content. However, the monitoring was not very effective, and users could often skirt around bans.[9] To complement the monitored video chat, Omegle also had an "unmonitored" video chat that was not monitored for sexual content.[10] K-Brooks had acknowledged the questionable content of the site, at one time expressing disappointment at the way in which the site has been used.[8]

Numerous advisories, bulletins and warnings were issued by both local and state law enforcement, as there had been major increases in reports of cyber-crime involving sexual exploitation of minors occurring on Omegle due to the popularity surge.[11][12]

Discrimination[edit]

Omegle was subject to controversy surrounding allegations of discrimination and alt-right content. The issue of racism in particular prevailed on the site, as did the issue of "redpilling", where users troll and harass minority groups and attempt to recruit new followers of their ideology. Users who were "redpilling" did several things, including shouting "white power" and performing a Nazi salute, mocking someone's appearance, yelling slurs or asking questions about someone's ethnicity or religion.[13]

In 2020, two teens conducted an experiment concerning racism on the site. They entered terms such as "BLM", "KKK" and "racist" to match with users. They reported that a significant amount of users made racist remarks.[14]

In 2020, a TikTok user named Johan Bradley posted a video in which two teenage boys referred to him as a "nigger" and a "slave" and made whipping noises. The pair were students of Shoreham-Wading River High School in Shoreham, New York. The school district's superintendent said that disciplinary action would be taken against the students.[15]

In 2020, the Anti-Defamation League began an investigation into antisemitism and far-right trolling on Omegle. An Australian white supremacist and former YouTuber named Tor Brookes (who used the name "CatboyKami") popularised the site in far-right circles after he attended a "Stop the Steal" rally in Phoenix, Arizona. He has promoted conspiracy theories and far-right extremism on Omegle, as well as on platforms such as BitChute, Discord and Telegram, including a video of him mimicking the murder of George Floyd. He uses slurs in content and often wears costumes and makeup (including blackface) to mock other ethnic groups. In 2021, ABC News journalist Alex Mann identified Hedley as Tor Gustafsson Brookes and revealed that he is from Ipswich, Queensland.[16] Another prominent white supremacist on the site was Paul Miller, a Florida-based user from New Jersey who commonly dressed as the Joker and the Riddler. As the Riddler, he said: "Riddle me this before you go. I'm loud and obnoxious. I like music that rhythms. I'm a fraction of the population but commit half the crimes. What am I? I'm a nigger!" and then laughed hysterically. Canadian white supremacist Brendan Martinez also uses the site for trolling and redpilling using a feature where users add their interests. Instead of adding his interests he adds terms such as "BLM" or "Biden".[13]

Child pornography[edit]

Omegle was subject to numerous controversies over child pornography.

Omegle, at the time of its closure, faced a $22 million lawsuit which was filed in 2019 in Oregon, in regard to a former user of the site who became a victim of child sex exploitation. In 2014, the then 11-year-old plaintiff logged onto Omegle and encountered a Canadian pedophile who blackmailed her into digital sexual slavery. The lawsuit alleges 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 has since removed this warning from the website.[17][18]

In 2020, a Canadian teacher was arrested at his home in Guelph after he broadcast child exploitation material on Omegle. He would plead guilty to several criminal charges in 2022.[19]

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.[20]

Name[edit]

According to Brooks, "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 sort of apocalyptic. Omegle was eventually named after that."[21]

Dissolution[edit]

According to Brooks, he shut the website down stating constant events of rape and pornography associated with Omegle throughout it's history.[22]

On the website, Brooks stated "Omegle is the direct target of these attacks, but their ultimate victim is you: all of you out there who have used, or would have used, Omegle to improve your lives, and the lives of others. When they say Omegle shouldn’t exist, they are really saying that you shouldn’t be allowed to use it; that you shouldn’t be allowed to meet random new people online. That idea is anathema to the ideals I cherish – specifically, to the bedrock principle of a free society that, when restrictions are imposed to prevent crime, the burden of those restrictions must not be targeted at innocent victims or potential victims of crime."

On the website. He later states that "...However, fear can also be a mental cage that keeps us from all of the things that make life worth living." which is something that Brooks felt he needed to say in concordance to the pattern of rape on and outside of Omegle.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ "Omegle". Omegle.
  2. ↑ "What is Omegle? What parents need to know". Internet Matters.
  3. ↑ "Omegle chat program can help you find love anonymously". Oneindia. April 14, 2009. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009.
  4. ↑ Quenqua, Douglas Promises Strangers (April 26, 2009). "Tired of Old Web Friends? A New Site". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018.
  5. ↑ Restar, Al (October 10, 2019). "Omegle throws jabs at China: 'Xi = Pooh!'". Z6 Mag. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  6. ↑ Lorenz, Taylor (March 1, 2021). "Oh, So We're Doing Random Video Chat Again?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020.
  7. ↑ Hanson, Kait (November 8, 2021). "What is Omegle? What parents need to know about keeping kids safe online". Today.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Chatroulette and Omegle: chat rooms with a twist". BBC News. March 24, 2010. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  9. ↑ "A Chat with Strangers: Fun or Dangerous?". April 14, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Omegle privacy policy". February 1, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  11. ↑ Slugoski, Kendra (March 9, 2021). "Child luring and sextortion cases online spike since start of pandemic". Global News. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  12. ↑ Annable, Kristin; Barghout, Caroline (August 25, 2022). "A website designed to talk to strangers has become a haven for child sex predators, expert says". CBC News.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Extremist Trolls are Targeting Omegle Users with Virulent Racism, Antisemitism | ADL". Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Racism is rampant on Omegle. Teens are working to hold racist trolls accountable". NBC News. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Racism is rampant on Omegle. Teens are working to hold racist trolls accountable". NBC News. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ "A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. July 24, 2021. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ↑ Fonrouge, Gabrielle (November 19, 2021). "Omegle allowed child user to become pedophile's digital sex slave: suit". New York Post. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  18. ↑ A.M. v. Omegle.com LLC (United States District Court for the District of Oregon 2019).
  19. ↑ McNaughton, Graeme (May 10, 2023). "Guelph man can no longer be teacher after child porn conviction". Guelph Mercury Tribune. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  20. ↑ Ferri, Lauren (November 26, 2021). "Central Coast man charged after allegedly procuring child for sex through Omegle". news.com.au. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Founder of Omegle.com Answers Questions From Redditors". Ian Carnaghan. October 20, 2009.
  22. ↑ K-Brooks, Leif (November 8, 2023). "Omegle". Omegle. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

External links[edit]

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