When we talk about the internet and the most common uses that can be made of it, it is inevitable to refer to social networks. It is evident that they have grown a lot since the beginning of messenger chats, to the current Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and a long etcetera. In the day of today we will talk about Omegle, a social network that may be less known by the vast majority, but that has its pull among users.
What is Omegle?
The first thing we must say about this social network is that in order to use it you must be responsible and of legal age. At least you must be over 13 years of age, with the consent of the guardians, or be over 18 years of age. A short and precise definition of Omegle would be the following: It is a website where we can chat anonymously, that puts strangers in contact, either by text chat or by image chat, through the camera.
The beginnings of this social network begin in 2009, and its creator was Leif K-Brooks, who one day came up with the idea, at the age of 18, and in his native Vermont in the United States, how to chat with people from all over the world. In his last year of high school he put it into effect with the birth of Omegle.
It was very well received, since the idea of being able to talk to anyone from anywhere in the world, and about the topics that most interested users. In addition, everything was done completely anonymously, since it did not require registration to be able to use it.
Just by connecting, two totally unknown personnel were contacted randomly to be able to chat freely. Neither knows the identity of the other, something that made their popularity grow. But what happens when everything is anonymous? That it can accommodate undesirable people and became a nest of undesirable people, where their darkest feelings surfaced, but we will talk about this later.
For this reason we can only access through the web, since its iOS and Android apps were banned and removed from Google Play and the App Store for inappropriate behavior towards younger users.
How does Omegle work?
The operation of this social network to be able to chat with strangers is simple. We note here that is a social network for adults, since behind the anonymity it offers can be any person whose profile we do not know. In fact, harassment and claims of a sexual nature have been reported on this network.
As we said, the anonymity of users is one of the great attractions and in turn one of the dangers of Omegle. To use the platform you do not need to register or provide any data, therefore it is easy for inadvisable or improper uses to occur, since it is not possible to identify the people who are using it.
Omegle has a motto of being "a great way to meet new friends, even while practicing social distancing." When we access it, it offers us options to use the service. We can choose the text or video chat mode, and we can even choose the language in which you want to communicate, if you wish you can add different interests by writing them in the corresponding field.
Start a chat session in which everything occurs anonymously, so we recommend that you do not provide any personal data to anyone.
The website notifies us that, according to the terms and conditions of Omegle, The use of the platform by minors under 13 years of age is not allowed, and it states that minors under 18 years of age must have the consent of their parents or guardians in order to use it. Very nice in theory, but in practice and since it does not require registration, it is impossible to detect. In fact, the website itself warns with a text that "moderation is not perfect and you may find people who have bad behavior".
Not only do we have these options to be able to chat, since we can choose a so called text chat spy mode. In this section we can ask two strangers questions or discuss different topics with another user about whom we do not know any data. It does, however, host a text-only chat for college students, seeking to connect with students.
In the video chat option, we have the possibility to choose the section without moderator, in which it obviously lacks any control and before accessing, a message appears warning us that the content is not moderated and therefore it is possible to find uncomfortable topics, sexual behavior that may bother us or similar. You must be at least 18 years old to access, but nobody knows who is behind the screen and if they are telling the truth, since they have no control.
As expected, before a web hosting of this type we can find a adult video chat section, here we can find content of a sexual nature, and not suitable for minors. In fact, this circumstance is noticed as soon as you enter the room. You must be at least 18 years old to enter, but as there are no controls you can enter without restrictions, be very careful.
omegle security
Given the lack of registration and moderation on this chat website, it has been discovered, and demonstrated, that Omegle maintains very low security. Therefore, it is very easy to access the conversations and it is not difficult for hackers or computer hackers to steal the information they want. For this reason, we recommend great care if you want to use this platform.
According to different analyzes and experts in Internet security, they warn that this type of service poses a great danger to children and adolescents and according to what has been studied, access to private conversations is of a rather obsolete architecture, which with a minimum of knowledge can be jumped to access the information that users of this social network can give in their conversations.
We can only say that you are cautious if you are going to use this social network or chat system. There are many unscrupulous people who can hide behind false profiles, and who can deceive the youngest. Do not write or display information that could identify you in any way.
Just as you don't air your information on the street, don't air it here, and remember to take minimal precautions to protect your identity on Omegle. One thing you should never do is share your name, location or personal information with a stranger, it doesn't matter if you have had a nice conversation with this person. It is evident that there is no way of knowing who is the person who chats with you really, so be careful and keep your anonymity.