Community guidelines
Jhalak is 10-second glimpses of Banaras — ghats, lanes, melas, the way you see them. These rules apply to everyone.
Not allowed
- Nudity or sexual content. Zero tolerance for sexual content involving children — removed at once, the account closed, and reported as the law requires.
- Intimate images shared without consent, and deepfakes — removed within the timelines the law sets.
- Hate, caste or religious abuse, harassment, threats, violence or gore.
- Dignity at the cremation ghats: no filming of mourners, pyres or the dead. Do not record inside temples where photography is prohibited.
- Other people's privacy — do not film people identifiably without asking, especially children.
- Spam, scams and misleading content.
AI and music
- A jhalak made or altered with AI must be declared — it shows a badge and the declaration travels inside the file.
- Music: use only what you hold the rights to. On a valid complaint we mute the audio or remove the jhalak.
How moderation works
Every public jhalak is checked before it is published — automated checks, then a human. Private adda is never scanned — only you and your people; the person you message can still report it, and then our team looks.
Promoted jhalaks
Some slides are paid placements by a local business. Every one is marked "Promoted · [business name]" from its first frame and carries no ordinary like/share rail, so it can never pass for a normal post. You are shown it because of the place you are browsing, never because of who you are — we read no profile or history to pick it — and the same ad appears at most twice a day. The advertiser is responsible for its claims; alcohol, tobacco, real-money gaming, political or religious advocacy, and anything involving minors are not accepted. A person reviews every promoted jhalak before it runs.
Consequences
Breaking the rules earns a strike; a set number of strikes closes the account. Serious cases are closed at once.
Reporting
Every jhalak and conversation has a "Report" action. For legal or privacy complaints, use the grievance redressal page.