Millions of Omegle users will no longer be able to chat online after the hugely popular site was suddenly taken offline overnight. This service, which was launched all the way back in 2009 but tech entrepreneur Leif K-Brooks, placed random users in online chat rooms together where they could interact and discuss their thoughts on the hot topics of the day.
During recent years - and with most of the world stuck at home during the pandemic - Omegle suddenly boomed in popularity attracting over 70 million users per month.
However, along with that success came a darker side with the site being criticised for offering paedophiles a place to chat with children.
In fact, Omegle has been mentioned in more than 50 cases against child sex offenders in the last few years.
Leif K-Brooks now says he can no longer afford the time, money and stress of keeping the site online and has taken the decision to close it down.
"There can be no honest accounting of Omegle without acknowledging that some people misused it, including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes," K-Brooks said in a post which now fills his website.
"As much as I wish circumstances were different, 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. Frankly, I don't want to have a heart attack in my 30s."
Many users have now taken to X (formerly Twitter) to express their sadness at the closure with one named Sky simply saying "Omegle has been shutdown?!! Rip." Whilst another called Dylan added: "It's devastating news for Omegle fans."
News of this closure comes as the biggest social media platforms will now be required to protect children online by keeping them off suggested friend lists to stop them being contacted by groomers, Ofcom has said.
The new online safety regulator has published its first draft codes of practice under the Online Safety Act, which was signed into law last week.
The first codes focus on illegal material online - such as child sexual abuse material, grooming content and fraud.
Under the code, the largest platforms will be required, by default, to ensure that children on their sites are not presented with lists of suggested friends, do not appear in other users' lists, that their location information is not visible to other users and that people outside their agreed connections cannot direct message them.
Ofcom is set to publish further codes in the coming months on other areas of online safety, such as guidance for adult sites on keeping children away and on protecting children from harmful content promoting things such as suicide or self-harm.