Since Coco closed, many Internet users are looking for alternatives to continue meeting people. Be careful not to choose just any alternative, because some are not without danger…
It’s a hard blow for Internet users: Coco.gg, also known as Cocoland, closed its doors on June 25 after more than twenty years of “good and loyal service.” Created in 2003, this anonymous chat presented itself as a social network allowing people to meet people by chatting with other users in public chat rooms, in “private rooms” and by private message. But behind its friendly and harmless appearance, Coco dragged a sad reputation. Indeed, many of its chat rooms specialized in sexual or illegal content – drug trafficking, prostitution of minors, sexual predation, pedophile content, etc. The site was involved in no less than 23,051 legal proceedings between June 1er January 2021 and May 7, 2024. In France, 480 victims have been recorded. However, many Internet users are already looking for a replacement.
Closure of Coco: what alternatives?
In recent days, the search for “coco chat alternative” has exploded on search engines and forums – including that of Comment ça marche. Internet users are looking for an alternative to turn to. Especially since Omegle, which offers a similar principle – and which was just as problematic – also closed its doors last November (see our article). There are many sites that use the same operation, such as tchatche.com, chaat.fr and net-tchat.info, but there are not many people on them and their operation is not optimal.
Some did not hesitate to jump at the chance to scam these lost souls. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), digital lawyer Alexandre Archambault warns against a proliferation of copies of the platform. Some of them take up “with identical presentation and title”he warns. Their goal: “obtaining personal data for the purpose of blackmail” potential victims. While most are quickly blocked, the threat is real. So be careful not to sign up for just anything!
So far, no one seems to be replacing Coco, and perhaps that’s for the best. The platform was a bastion of mismanaged anonymity, a place where rules were ignored, claiming thousands of victims. Perhaps this is a page of Internet history that we should never try to rewrite again…