TikTok Users Migrate To Chinese App RedNote Ahead of US Ban

Ahead of the highly publicised TikTok ban in the USA, thousands of American TikTok users have begun migrating to yet another Chinese app called RedNote.

The surge of users identifying as “TikTok refugees” propelled RedNote to become the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Store on Monday.

RedNote, a TikTok rival, is particularly popular among young people in China, Taiwan, and other Mandarin-speaking regions.

With approximately 300 million monthly users, the platform combines elements of TikTok and Instagram. It primarily caters to young urban women, offering a space to share lifestyle tips on topics ranging from dating to fashion.

It seems that RedNote have seized this opportunity and welcomed all these “TikTok refugees” with open arms, with there being 63,000 new posts targeted to this new audience to teach them how to navigate the app and some basic phrases in Mandarin.

Similar to TikTok, RedNote has faced reports  and allegations of censorship, particularly concerning criticism of the Chinese government.

In Taiwan, public officials are prohibited from using RedNote due to perceived security risks associated with Chinese software.

As more US users joined the platform, some Chinese users humorously referred to themselves as “Chinese spies,” alluding to concerns from US officials that TikTok could be exploited by China for espionage and political influence.

To make things even worse for sceptics, RedNote’s Chinese name, Xiaohongshu, translates to “Little Red Book.” However, the app has clarified that the name is not a reference to the collection of quotations by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, despite the identical title.

#MaltaDaily