Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 2026
1. Anonymous By Design
Chingle is engineered to prioritize your privacy. You are never asked to provide your name, email, phone number, or create an account. When you connect, a temporary cryptographically secure session identifier is created in your browser's memory to manage matchmaking and is discarded when you leave.
2. Real-Time Media & Audio
Video and audio streams are transmitted directly between peers using browser WebRTC (Peer-to-Peer). We do NOT record, intercept, or store your video or audio conversations on our servers.
In cases where peer-to-peer connection is blocked by restrictive NAT/firewalls, media may pass through an encrypted TURN relay server. Even in this scenario, the relay merely forwards encrypted packets without inspecting or recording media content.
3. Text Chat Messages
Text messages are exchanged directly peer-to-peer via the WebRTC DataChannel. Messages do not travel through our signaling server during ordinary chat and are not stored in any database. When a user explicitly files a report, the recent in-memory chat history from that specific session may be submitted for moderator investigation of abuse.
4. Technical Data & Moderation
To maintain service integrity and prevent abuse, we collect minimal technical data:
- Anonymized IP Hashes: IP addresses are one-way hashed using HMAC-SHA-256 with a secret salt. Raw IP addresses are never stored in plaintext or displayed to other users.
- Abuse Records: Submitted user reports and temporary ban hashes are retained in our database for safety enforcement.
- Browser Storage: We use local/session storage solely to remember that you agreed to the 18+ age gate and your device preferences.