Efforts to curtail bad behavior online usually start with calls to amend Section 230.Īt least to Section 230’s critics, the idea is simple: get rid of Section 230 and the awful content will follow. Of course, like with any site that exposes us to the harsh realities of the offline world, critics are quick to blame Section 230. Graphic pornography, violent extremism, hate speech, child predators, CSAM, sex trafficking, etc., are all fair game on Omegle all of which is truly awful content that has always existed in the offline world, now magnified by the unforgiving, unfiltered, use-at-your-own-risk, service. While the site might satisfy some of our deepest social cravings, it might also expose us to some incredibly unpleasant surprises outside the watered-down and sheltered online experiences provided to us by big tech. It’s an inevitable and usual consequence of online anonymity. Whether you’re on text or video, there’s really no telling what kinds of terrible content-and people-you’ll likely encounter.

Text mode pairs two anonymous strangers in a chat room whereas video mode pairs two anonymous strangers via their webcams. If you’re unfamiliar, Omegle offers two methods of randomly connecting with strangers on the Internet: text or video. When I was a teen, Omegle was a sleepover staple. Of course, it also offers a whole lot of dicks. For those that are burnt out on monotonous Zoom “coffee chats,” Omegle grants just the right amount of spontaneity and nuanced human connection that we used to enjoy before “social distancing” became a household phrase. After 100+ days of quarantine, anything that recreates at least a semblance of interaction with humans, not under the same roof, is absolutely enticing. It’s no surprise that Omegle is making a massive comeback.

Smaller companies make for excellent content moderation case studies, especially relatively edgier companies like Omegle. Unfortunately, in our quest for a solution, we often skip a step, jumping to Section 230-the law that shields websites from liability for third-party content-instead of thinking carefully about the scalable, improvable, and measurable strides to be made through effective content moderation efforts.

Omegle, the talk-to-random-strangers precursor to Chatroulette, might be that magnifying glass, intensifying our urge to do something about awful content. Rather, the Internet is more like a magnifying glass, constantly refocusing our attention on all the horrible aspects of the human condition. Perhaps though, the mirror analogy doesn’t go far enough. Unsurprisingly, anti-social behavior exists online just as it does offline. Eric Goldman, titled “Why Can’t Internet Companies Stop Awful Content?” In our article, we concluded that the Internet is just a mirror of our society. Last year, I co-authored an article with my law school advisor, Prof.

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