Germany Agrees Five Years of Relief for Industry Power Costs
The German government agreed on measures to ease electricity bills for manufacturers over the next five years in
1970-01-01 08:00
Turkish courts' spat over jailed MP fuels rule of law concerns
By Ece Toksabay and Burcu Karakas ANKARA A dispute between two top courts over the case of jailed
1970-01-01 08:00
Big media rallies as tentative actors' deal paves way for restarting productions
By Samrhitha A Investors in Hollywood studios on Thursday cheered a tentative deal with actors that could help
1970-01-01 08:00
Alix Earle is 'all smiles' on European vacation with her girl squad as fans applaud their 'sisterhood' vibes
Influencer Alix Earle shared glimpses of her London holiday and enthralled her fans
1970-01-01 08:00
Rodrygo grateful for Carlo Ancelotti faith after star performance against Braga
Rodrygo Goes has thanked Carlo Ancelotti for showing faith him in following a barren run in front of goal for Real Madrid.
1970-01-01 08:00
'You're just scum': Republicans tussle in fierce debate without Trump
The third Republican debate in Miami had some sharp exchanges but none of the five really punched through.
1970-01-01 08:00
Mexico inflation continues to ease in October
Mexico's inflation eased for the ninth consecutive month in October, data from national statistics agency INEGI showed on
1970-01-01 08:00
All the men who have been crowned People's 'Sexiest Man Alive' over the years
Mel Gibson was the first to receive the title of People's 'Sexiest Man Alive' in 1985, while Patrick Dempsey is the latest star to get the coveted title
1970-01-01 08:00
Wolves vs Tottenham - Premier League: TV channel, team news, lineups and prediction
Tottenham visit Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups, how to watch on TV and live stream and more.
1970-01-01 08:00
'Not quite clear': Internet skepticism grows over reports of tentative deal ending 118-day SAG-AFTRA strike
Amid online skepticism, reports of a tentative deal between SAG-AFTRA and studios emerged, signaling the potential end to the 118-day strike
1970-01-01 08:00
China's SMIC sees lower Q4 gross margin, lifts annual capex forecast
(Reuters) -Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp on Thursday lifted its annual capital expenditure forecast to around $7.5 billion and said it
1970-01-01 08:00
Omegle anonymous chat app shuts down after being used for ‘unspeakably heinous crimes’
Omegle, a popular website used to video chat with strangers, is shutting down after almost 15 years. The closure comes amid increasing criticism that the site endangered its users, with reports of child sexual abuse and other crime on the platform. Omegle allowed users to sign up and then be launched into a video chat with another stranger using the site. The two could chat for as long as they wished – until they ended that conversation and embarked on a new one. The app was launched in 2009, and became popular almost straight away. Its founder said that its popularity was a result of “meeting new people being a basic human need”. Quickly, however, it became known for explicit and other criminal content. Leif K-Brooks, the company’s founder, admitted that Omegle had been misused, “including to commit unspeakably heinous crimes”. The site attempted to introduce new features to stop that misuse, such as “monitored chats” that would allow moderators to try and stop criminals using the site. But they did not work, and the site continued to receive criticism for its lack of safety. Now Mr K-Brooks has said that the criticism has become too much, and Omegle will shut down. The intensity of the fight over use of the site had forced him to decide to shut it down, he said, and it will stop working straight away. “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. Operating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically. Frankly, I don’t want to have a heart attack in my 30s,” wrote Leif K-Brooks, who has run the website since founding it. Omegle saw a huge surge in popularity during the pandemic, as people not only flocked to the site but recorded their interactions and shared them on social media. But that popularity also brought more awareness of the problems on the site, and increased criticism of it. Mr K-Brooks acknowledged that criticism. But he also suggested that at least some of it was in bad faith, and that it was intended to force the site to shut down. “In recent years, it seems like the whole world has become more ornery. Maybe that has something to do with the pandemic, or with political disagreements. Whatever the reason, people have become faster to attack, and slower to recognize each other’s shared humanity. One aspect of this has been a constant barrage of attacks on communication services, Omegle included, based on the behavior of a malicious subset of users,” he wrote. He said that the site had been shut down on the basis of “fear”. “If something as simple as meeting random new people is forbidden, what’s next?”, he wrote, comparing the end of Omegle to “shutting down Central Park because crime occurs there – or perhaps more provocatively, destroying the universe because it contains evil”. The decision to shut down Omegle comes amid increasing concern about regulation of the internet and how best to protect its users. It comes just days after the introduction of the UK’s Online Safety Act, for instance, which aims to hold platforms to account for crimes on their platform, including online grooming. Read More Omegle anonymous chat app shuts down after 14 years Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case New AI Pin clips ChatGPT to your clothes Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case New AI Pin clips ChatGPT to your clothes Google issues three-week warning to Gmail account holders
1970-01-01 08:00
