Chingari replies after report claimed it’s turning into adult entertainment app

New Delhi: Facing the heat over a report which claimed that Chingari is building an adult entertainment app via its paid 1-on-1 video call feature, the short-video making app said on Monday the claim about Chingari’s pivot paid live 1-on-1 calls between creators and users is baseless.

Leading startup news portal Inc42 said in a report, citing sources, that “since 1-on-1 video calls are private, the chances of involving graphic images or language is high”.

The report examined Chingari’s pivot to “18+ content with paid live 1-on-1 calls between creators and users”.

The report also saw recruitment posts for creators with promises of big payouts, in addition to several social media ads and videos featuring salacious promises to users.

In a statement, the company said that Chingari Private Call is a feature of Chingari that allows users to interact 1:1 using video mode.

“It’s interactive, enabling viewers to comment, ask questions, and send virtual gifts during the stream. It enabled creators to monetize their time. The claim of “Chingari’s pivot paid live 1-on-1 calls between creators and users’ is baseless,” the platform added.

“Chingari private call is just one of the features of this app. So to infer, Chingari in no way has pivoted to only this feature. Moreover, this feature was introduced because no other legacy platform allows users to directly talk to their favourite creators,” the platform further argued.

To check any NSFW content, said the company, it has a robust AI-based model and “have a team of moderators who keep an eye on such content”.

“We at Chingari take the concern around NSFW content very seriously. Being a community-driven platform, we are open to feedback and suggestions,” it added.

According to the Inc42 report, after it questioned Chingari about its new feature and monetisation model, “the company even changed its Android app’s parental rating on the Google Play Store to 18+ this week (June 22, 2023), even though the personal video call feature was introduced in April”.