Omegle, a popular online chat platform that allows you to chat with strangers, recently announced that it will shut down after 15 years of operation. The decision was made in response to the growing abuse of the platform to commit heinous crimes, which the founder described as “unspeakably horrible”.

Started in 2009 by then high school student Leif K-Brooks, Omegle was initially a small project, but quickly grew in popularity, attracting millions of users every day. Despite a slight decline in popularity in recent years, the site attracted around 50 million visitors last month, according to analytics firm HoudelijkeWeb. In a blog post, K-Brooks shared her initial uncertainty about the success of her platform, which started from humble beginnings in her parents’ home in Vermont. He attributed Omegle’s rapid growth to the basic human desire to meet new people, something the platform has effectively met.

However, increased use of the platform during the pandemic has led to increased scrutiny and criticism as the platform has become a hotspot for more suspicious activity. K-Brooks acknowledged its efforts to improve the platform’s security measures but expressed regret over recent malicious attacks that prompted its decision to shut down the platform. K-Brooks expressed its sorrow and disclosed the operational challenges and toll of its fight against abuse. He noted that the current situation was no longer financially and emotionally sustainable, which led to the difficult decision to cease operations.

K-Brooks expressed concern about the future direction of the Internet. The concern was that without a major change in approach, the Internet could become a medium similar to passive television consumption without the active participation and genuine human connections that once characterized the Internet.