Omegle

Omegle[note 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." The site was created by 18-year-old Leif K-Brooks of Brattleboro, Vermont, and was launched on March 25, 2009.[2][3] Less than a month after launch, Omegle garnered around 150,000 page views a day,[4] and in March 2010 the site introduced a video conferencing feature.

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

Comparisons have been made to early-1990s AOL.[5]

History

During late 2019 and early 2020, Omegle criticized the Chinese Communist Party, and 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 (General Secretary of the Communist Party of China) sure looks like Winnie the Pooh" over it.[6]

The initial rules stated that a 13-year-old could use the website with the permission of a parent or guardian. On 6 October 2022, the rules were updated so that only those 18 or older were allowed to use the website.[7]

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] After January 2013, 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]

Omegle and other random chat websites experienced a surge of popularity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increase of popular YouTube and TikTok social influencers using the website.[11] This has also caused increase of minors using the website. 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.[12]

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.[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 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. 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 ad their interests, but instead of adding his interests he adds terms such as "BLM" or "Biden".[13] In 2021, ABC News journalist Alex Mann identified Hedley as Tor Gustafsson Brookes and revealed that he is from Ipswich, Queensland.[16]

In 2022, a Twitter user named "SomethingAboutChickens", who is a black man, tweeted two clips of white users on Omegle referred to him as a "nigger".[17]

In 2023, Twitch streamer Adin Ross attracted controversy after he asked users of Omegle to "act black" for a cash prize.[18]

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.[19][20]

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.[21]

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.[22]

See also

Explanatory notes
  1. Regarding pronunciation, the creator describes it as "Oh-meg-ull. I used to just say that it's pronounced like a combination of 'omega' and 'Google', but apparently, a lot of people pronounce 'omega' as oh-mee-guh, which is just strange."[1]

References
  1. K-Brooks, Leif (19 October 2009). "Oh-meg-ull. I used to just say that it's pronounced like a combination of 'omega' and 'Google', but apparently, a lot of people pronounce 'omega' as oh-mee-guh, which is just strange". Reddit. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  2. Brooks, Leif (30 March 2009). "Welcome to the Omegle blog!". Archived from the original on 3 April 2009.
  3. "Omegle chat program can help you find love anonymously". 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
  4. Quenqua, Douglas (26 April 2009). "Tired of Old Web Friends? A New Site Promises Strangers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  5. O'Brien, Terrence (2 April 2009). "Omegle.com Lets You Anonymously Mess With Complete Strangers". Switched.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  6. Restar, Al (10 October 2019). "Omegle throws jabs at China: 'Xi = Pooh!'". Z6 Mag. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. "Omegle Terms of Service Agreement". Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  8. "Chatroulette and Omegle: chat rooms with a twist". BBC News. 24 March 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  9. "A Chat with Strangers: Fun or Dangerous?". 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  10. "Omegle privacy policy". 1 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  11. Lorenz, Taylor (24 July 2020). "Oh, So We're Doing Random Video Chat Again?". The New York Times.
  12. Slugoski, Kendra (9 March 2021). "Child luring and sextortion cases online spike since start of pandemic". Global News.
  13. "Extremist Trolls are Targeting Omegle Users with Virulent Racism, Antisemitism | ADL".
  14. "Racism is rampant on Omegle. Teens are working to hold racist trolls accountable". NBC News.
  15. "Racism is rampant on Omegle. Teens are working to hold racist trolls accountable". NBC News.
  16. "A far-right troll's journey from an Ipswich bedroom to global infamy". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 24 July 2021.
  17. "Viral clip of racists using the n-word on Omegle highlights a larger problem". 25 August 2022.
  18. "Adin Ross sparks backlash after asking fans to "act Black" for money on Omegle".
  19. Fonrouge, Gabrielle (19 November 2021). "Omegle allowed child user to become pedophile's digital sex slave: suit". New York Post.
  20. A.M. v. Omegle.com LLC (United States District Court for the District of Oregon 2019).
  21. McNaughton, Graeme (10 May 2023). "Guelph man can no longer be teacher after child porn conviction". Guelph Mercury Tribune.
  22. https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/central-coast-man-charged-after-allegedly-procuring-child-for-sex-through-omegle/news-story/2e6a0d508000fd4843fdf88e7d77c704?amp
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