Omegle shuts down after 14 years amid abuse claims 

The site has been mentioned in more than 50 cases against paedophiles in the last couple of years, according to the BBC.

It was launched by Leif Brooks from his parents' house in 2009, when he was 18 - first as a text-based service, then a video chat.

Originally aimed at fostering "social spontaneity", the premise was that you could chat with a stranger for however long you wanted, leaving the chat whenever you chose.

Mr Brooks highlighted positives - soulmates meeting, people talking across culture divides, alleviating loneliness - but also faced up to the site's low points.

Why Omegle Shutdown?

Omegle, the video chat site which paired strangers, has shut down following claims of abuse against users. The app saw a surge in popularity during the pandemic but has faced allegations it matched children with paedophiles.

Omegle is being sued by an American woman who alleges she was matched with a paedophile when she was 11, and was coerced into being his online sex slave for three years.

Omegle's legal team argued in court that the website was not to blame.

Mr Brooks defended Omegle's efforts to tackle bad actors in his blog post, saying the site "punched above its weight in content moderation".

Omegle also worked with police to "help put evildoers in prison", he said.

A BBC investigation in 2021 found children exposing themselves on the site, prompting TikTok to ban links to the website from its platform.