Omegle was a free online chat platform launched in the year 2009 by Leif K-Brooks. It allowed users to connect with strangers all over the world in an anonymous manner for text, video or voice chats. The platform paired users randomly for one-on-one chat sessions, with the users getting the options for both moderated and unmoderated chats. Omegle didn’t require its users to register or share personal details. However, the users could share their interests for better matching.
Omegle was hugely popular, particularly among the youngsters. Its popularity soared during Covid-19 pandemic when the monthly visitors to the platform reached millions. Omegle was especially popular in United States, India and United Kingdom. The platform had no dedicated mobile application and was accessible through web browsers.
Omegle’s Status in India
Omegle never faced a ban in India. However, since the platform ceased operations in the year 2023, it is not accessible in any country, including India. Omegle shut down its global operations permanently on 8th November 2023, 14 years after its inception. In a statement, the founder of Omegle, Leif K-Brooks, cited ongoing legal battles, continuous allegations of grave misuse against the platform and unsustainable operational costs as the reasons for the closure.
While Omegle was not banned in India, there were grave concerns over its safety and privacy in the country. As per cyber law experts, if Omegle had continued its operations, there was a huge possibility of the platform coming under the scrutiny of Indian cyber laws like IT Act, 2000, sooner or later.
Controversies Leading to Closure
Omegle was accused of facilitating child sexual abuse. An investigation by BBC found that Omegle had been mentioned in over 50 cases involving paedophiles in multiple countries, including United States, UK and Australia. In November 2021, an American filed a lawsuit against Omegle, claiming that she was paired with a paedophile in 2011 when she was a child. It was not before 2013 that Omegle started censoring nudity and sexual content. Cases like a Canadian teacher using Omegle to broadcast child pornography or an Australian man using Omegle to seek child sex strengthened the accusations of child sex abuse against the platform.
Omegle faced criticism for being used extensively by racists to peddle their nefarious agenda against women and ethnic minorities. For instance, in the year 2020, a TikTok user, John Bradley, posted a video of two teenaged Omegle users making racist comments against him.
Santosh Kumar is a Professional SEO and Blogger, With the help of this blog he is trying to share top 10 lists, facts, entertainment news from India and all around the world.
