Chinese RedNote App Rises Amid TikTok Ban: New Privacy Concerns

5 min read
January 17, 2025 at 4:17 PM

As TikTok faces a looming ban in the United States, a new player has emerged on the social media stage: RedNote. Known as Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) in China, RedNote has skyrocketed in popularity, especially among American users seeking alternatives. However, its meteoric rise comes with fresh privacy concerns and questions about its future. Here’s everything you need to know about the app that’s taking over app store charts.

What is the RedNote App?

RedNote is a Chinese social media platform that combines features from TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. With over 300 million monthly active users globally, the app caters primarily to young urban women. It allows users to share short videos, photos, and text-based posts, and offers integrated shopping features. Unlike TikTok, which plays a video immediately upon opening the app, RedNote requires users to log in before they can begin browsing or posting.

This raises a common question among users: Is RedNote Chinese TikTok? While both apps share similarities in their user interface and viral video features, RedNote has carved out a distinct niche with its shopping integration and content format. Originally launched in 2013 by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology, the app has steadily grown in popularity, especially during the pandemic. However, its recent explosion in the U.S., with 3 million new users joining in a single day, is largely attributed to the impending TikTok ban.

Is RedNote a Safe App?

The safety of RedNote has become a heated topic. Privacy advocates and policymakers have raised alarms over the app's potential for surveillance and censorship. Much like TikTok, RedNote is accused of sharing user data with its Chinese parent company, making it susceptible to influence by the Chinese government.

Posts discussing sensitive topics, including LGBTQ issues and political dissent, have reportedly been removed at the request of Chinese regulators. U.S.-based users are particularly vulnerable, as the app shares data with ad networks like Facebook and Google, raising concerns about both Chinese and U.S. surveillance practices. These controversies have also sparked curiosity about what app is replacing TikTok in the US and whether RedNote is the next major platform to fill that void.

Is RedNote a Chinese App?

Yes, RedNote is a Chinese app. RedNote app owner Xingyin Information Technology is a private company based in Shanghai. While not affiliated with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, RedNote faces similar scrutiny due to its origins. The app’s Chinese name, Xiaohongshu, translates to "Little Red Book," though the company insists it is not referencing Mao Zedong’s infamous book of quotations.

Despite its origins, many U.S. users have dismissed concerns over the app’s Chinese ties. As one American user put it, “If it’s making me feel good, I’m here for it.” However, the app’s association with China has fueled debates about national security and data privacy.

Can They Ban RedNote?

The short answer is yes, but it’s complicated. Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which led to TikTok’s ban, the U.S. government could potentially target RedNote. The law allows the executive branch to ban apps from countries deemed "foreign adversaries," a designation China already holds.

While lawmakers have suggested the legislation was primarily aimed at TikTok, they acknowledge its scope could extend to other Chinese-owned apps. Given RedNote’s rapid rise and the similarities in privacy concerns, it could easily find itself in regulatory crosshairs.

RedNote Terms and Conditions

One major issue with RedNote is its terms and conditions, which are written primarily in Mandarin. Many American users admit to agreeing to them without fully understanding what they entail. This lack of accessibility raises significant questions about informed consent and data transparency.

Additionally, reports suggest that RedNote’s terms allow extensive data collection, including location tracking, device information, and even browsing habits. While such practices are common among social media platforms, RedNote’s Chinese ownership amplifies concerns about where this data might end up.

Why Are People Downloading RedNote?

Despite the controversies, RedNote has found a receptive audience in the U.S. Users have embraced it as both a practical alternative to TikTok and a form of protest against the ban. The act of downloading RedNote has become a symbolic gesture for many, representing their frustration with the U.S. government’s handling of TikTok and broader privacy concerns.

Some users view their downloads as a way to directly challenge the narrative surrounding Chinese-owned apps. “You don’t want China to have our data? We’ll just give it to them ourselves,” quipped one user in a viral post. Memes and hashtags like #TikTokRefugee have further fueled this sentiment, encouraging others to join in the movement. By downloading RedNote, users are not just adopting a new platform but making a pointed statement about their dissatisfaction with the growing politicization of social media.

Moreover, the influx of users has created a unique cultural exchange. American and Chinese users are interacting in ways that were less common on TikTok, sharing tips, jokes, and even learning languages to communicate better. For some, the appeal lies in the opportunity to engage with a global audience and explore a platform that feels refreshingly different yet familiar.

Many users are already building significant followings, with some gaining thousands of followers within days of joining. The rapid adoption underscores both the demand for alternatives and the power of collective action in reshaping the social media landscape.

The Future of RedNote

As RedNote gains momentum, its fate in the U.S. remains uncertain. The Supreme Court is set to rule on TikTok’s ban, and the decision could set a precedent for apps like RedNote. Meanwhile, privacy advocates and lawmakers will likely continue scrutinizing its operations.

For now, RedNote represents both an opportunity and a risk for its users. Whether it becomes a permanent fixture in the U.S. social media landscape or another casualty of regulatory action will depend on how it navigates these challenges.

Closing Thoughts: A New Frontier in Privacy and Politics

RedNote’s rise amid the TikTok ban highlights the complex interplay between technology, politics, and privacy. While the app offers a new platform for creators and communities, its association with China and history of censorship raise significant concerns. The bigger picture reveals troubling implications for national security and democratic integrity. Chinese laws, such as the National Intelligence Law, mandate that Chinese companies must cooperate with government requests for data, which means U.S. user data collected by RedNote could theoretically be accessed by the Chinese government. This access opens the door to potential misuse, from targeted surveillance to the crafting of tailored propaganda designed to manipulate public opinion.

More alarmingly, if China holds leverage over social media platforms like TikTok and RedNote with a large U.S. user base, it could sway political discourse and influence U.S. voters on key issues such as foreign policy, trade relations, or even domestic elections. The proprietary and secret algorithms could be strategically manipulated to craft and amplify a specific narrative on the platform, one that overwhelmingly supports or opposes key issues. This engineered narrative might dominate user feeds, creating an illusion of widespread consensus, even if it starkly misrepresents the actual opinions or sentiments of the platform’s user base. Such influence has the potential to subtly shape public discourse, sway opinions, and undermine authentic dialogue. The possibility of such manipulation poses a direct challenge to democratic systems, especially given the app’s appeal to younger users who often rely heavily on social media as a primary source of information.

A skeptic might also question whether China has played a role in the recent surge of RedNote downloads. Some critics suggest that TikTok’s algorithm may have subtly encouraged users to explore RedNote as a form of protest to the TikTok ban, furthering the platform’s visibility. Others speculate that download numbers could have been artificially inflated to amplify the narrative of American defiance against the TikTok ban. While there is no concrete evidence to support these claims, the mere possibility underscores the need for scrutiny and transparency as RedNote’s popularity grows.

As users flock to RedNote, understanding its risks and broader implications is not just important but essential. Navigating this new frontier requires vigilance, informed choices, and a deeper awareness of how digital platforms shape the world we live in.

 

Compass IT Compliance is an IT security and compliance consulting firm that occasionally comments on topics concerning data privacy and security. Compass is not affiliated with TikTok, RedNote, or the U.S. or Chinese governments. Its insights are aimed at fostering awareness and understanding of emerging cybersecurity challenges.

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