In the same order, two leading mobile app distribution platforms were directed to remove Chorki's mobile app from their respective services. Following the court order, Chorki has already moved its services to a new domain.
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US court order directs transfer of Chorki's main domain
The lawsuit originated on February 16, 2024. Mujakkir Hossain and Sakhawat Hasan filed a class-action lawsuit in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The defendants are Media Star Limited, which operates the service under the Chorki brand, and its parent company Transcom Limited.
The lawsuit alleges that Chorki sent users' personal information—such as names, email addresses, unique identifiers, and the videos they watched—to various third-party data analytics and technology service providers.
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The plaintiffs claim that sharing users' video viewing information in this manner constitutes a violation of the US Video Privacy Protection Act. The lawsuit seeks statutory damages of $2,500 for each alleged violation and a permanent injunction.
Although Chorki is often presented as a separate OTT brand, its legal operating entity is Media Star Limited. Chorki's own identity and terms of use also state that Media Star Limited operates the service under the Chorki brand.
The national daily Prothom Alo is also published by the same entity, Media Star Limited. Additionally, on the Transcom Group website, Prothom Alo is listed as Media Star's main brand. Therefore, the ongoing lawsuit against Chorki in a US court is effectively being pursued against Media Star Limited, the publisher of Prothom Alo.
However, the lawsuit is still pending. No final judgment has been made on the allegations raised in court, and the court has not yet determined the defendants' liability.