Mr. K-Brooks, who founded the website at 18 years old, did not explicitly mention problems with pedophilia on the website in the letter.
The end of Omegle comes as lawmakers and law enforcement agencies continue to examine the role of technology and social media in the explosion of online child sex abuse in recent years.
While the problem predates the internet, smartphones, social media and cloud storage have worsened the issue, and several lawsuits and criminal cases have argued that Omegle enabled abusers to meet children for anonymous messaging and coercion.
Such businesses face the problem of addressing rampant criminal activity on their platforms, sometimes with limited resources to stop it.
They also face threats of criminal charges if they do not comply with requests from the authorities for data that could prove such activity.
Persons:
Brooks, Omegle, Michele Bush
Organizations:
Loehrs Forensics