Omegle founder Leif K-Brooks has announced that his website, Omegle has been shut down after 14 years. Launched back in 2009 the website allowed anonymous users to chat via text or via video without the need to sign in with an account. In the early years it was viewed as an appealing way to meet new people. However, in recent years, the website has become a toxic destination for online abuse and grooming.

Leif K-Brooks released a statement which is viewable now on the Omegle website which outlines his reasoning for bringing the site to an end and he also spoke of the good that had come from the users who actually used the site foe what it was intended for.

“One aspect of this has been a constant barrage of attacks on communication services, Omegle included, based on the behaviour of a malicious subset of users. 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. Operating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically. Frankly, I don’t want to have a heart attack in my 30s. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep fighting for you.”

Omegle founder Leif K-Brooks

Omegle also grew in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with children and young people. However, there have been 50 cases against paedophiles in recent years where Omegle was mentioned.