Chat app OmeTV has been banned in Australia after predator warnings
In a bid to protect Aussie children online, OmeTV has been removed from major app stores by the eSafety Commission.
Exclusive: Australia’s online watchdog has forced Apple and Google to remove a popular chat-roulette style app from their platforms, after predators used it to connect and exploit young children.
The eSafety Commission took action after Australian police warned that pedophiles were using OmeTV – an app which instantly connects strangers with random people worldwide – as a hunting ground for victims.
The app’s parent company ‘Bad Kitty’s Dad, LDA’, headquartered in Portugal, did not act on a formal request by the regulator in August to introduce protections for Australian children.
At the same time the commission also wrote to tech giants Apple and Google reminding them of their own obligations to protect children under the App Store Code and requesting they remove the app from their platforms.
OmeTV was the 11th most downloaded app on Apple and ninth most popular on Google.
The removal of the app shows how influential Australia’s online regulator is globally.
It is the first time the watchdog has flexed its muscles since gaining additional powers to protect children from online harm, and crackdown on pro terrorist and violent extremism content.
OmeTV, which also has a website which is still operating, could still face fines of up to $49.5 million, for breaching Australian laws.
A 14-year-old Queensland victim, who was groomed and tricked into providing an explicit image of herself to an Australian predator in his 40s she met via the app, was then blackmailed into doing the same for two of the man’s friends.
“Once they had one photo, they had leverage over her and she was then forced to do other things which were screen recorded,” the girl’s dad said.
“We had talked to her about keeping safe online, but all it took was one momentary lapse in judgement.”
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she was pleased the tech giants complied with the request as part of their obligations under the App Store Code.
“OmeTV was a deeply risky app that paired adults and children together randomly for live
video chat, and led to grooming and sexual exploitation of Australian children, as well as
others globally, so it was appropriate for Apple and Google to take action,” Ms Inman Grant
said.
“The service entirely failed to engage with eSafety, despite receiving a warning from us for
failing to comply with Australian law, but due to the multi-layered protections provided
under the codes, the distribution channels for this dangerous app have been limited,” she continued.
“This is a great example of how the codes and standards work in practice to improve safety
across the online industry and protect children.”
Last week Australia’s eSafety Commissioner issued more legal notices, this time to four popular AI companion providers requiring them to explain how they are protecting children from exposure to a range of harms, including sexually explicit conversations and images and suicidal ideation and self-harm.
The watchdog will also be responsible for enforcing a new law due to come into force on December 10, which will see under-16s banned from accessing social media. The law was inspired by News Corp’s campaign Let Them Be Kids.
OmeTV was approached for comment.
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Originally published as Chat app OmeTV has been banned in Australia after predator warnings
