Omegle shuts down online chat service amid legal challenges

Omegle, an online chat service that billed itself as an anonymous forum to "talk to strangers," has shut down amid allegations it served as a hotbed for criminal activities. 

In a lengthy statement Thursday, Omegle founder Leif K-Brooks said the service is closing because combating misuse of the platform is "no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically." In recent years, Omegle has faced a slew of lawsuits alleging the platform, which connected people via text and video chat, became a breeding ground for sexual harassment and facilitated the sexual exploitation of minors by pairing underaged users with sexual abusers.  

"The stress and expense of this fight – coupled with the existing stress and expense of operating Omegle, and fighting its misuse – are simply too much," Brooks said in the statement.