Omegle

Omegle (/oʊˈmɛɡəl/[1]) is a free online chat website that allows users to socialize with others without the need to register. The service randomly pairs users in one-on-one chat sessions where they chat anonymously using the names "You" and "Stranger".

Omegle
Type of site
Available inEnglish
Country of originUnited States
OwnerOmegle.com, LLC
Created byLeif K-Brooks
IndustryInternet
URLwww.omegle.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationNo
LaunchedMarch 25, 2009 (2009-03-25)
Current statusActive

History

The site was created by 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.

Controversies

Omegle has been 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 have 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 is not very effective, and users can often skirt around bans.[9] To complement the monitored video chat, Omegle also has an "unmonitored" video chat that is not monitored for sexual content.[10] K-Brooks has 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 have been issued by both local and state law enforcement, as there have been major increases in reports of cyber-crime involving sexual exploitation of minors occurring on Omegle due to the popularity surge.[11]

Discrimination

Omegle has been recently subject to controversy surrounding allegations of discrimination and alt-right content. The issue of racism in particular prevails on the site, as does the issue of "redpilling", where users troll and harass minority groups and attempt to recruit new followers of their ideology. Users who are "redpilling" may do several things, including shouting "white power" and perform a Nazi salute, mocking someone's appearance, yelling slurs or asking questions about someone's ethnicity or religion.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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 Philip Hedley (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.[15] Another prominent white supremacist on the site is Paul Miller, a Florida-based user from New Jersey who commonly dresses as the Joker and the Riddler. As the Riddler, he says: "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 laughs 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".[12]

Child pornography

Omegle has been subject to numerous controversies over child pornography.

Omegle is currently facing 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.[16][17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

Name

According Brooks, the origin of the "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."[20]

See also

References
  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. 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.
  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. "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. "Extremist Trolls are Targeting Omegle Users with Virulent Racism, Antisemitism | ADL". Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  13. "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.
  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. "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.
  16. 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.
  17. A.M. v. Omegle.com LLC (United States District Court for the District of Oregon 2019).
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. "Founder of Omegle.com Answers Questions From Redditors". Ian Carnaghan. October 20, 2009.
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