Chinese TikTok alternative RedNote tops app charts ahead of potential TikTok ban
On Monday, Chinese users of RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, welcomed “TikTok refugees” to the platform.
TikTok users are pushing back against the looming TikTok ban set to potentially go into effect Sunday by downloading a Chinese app called RedNote, which some users are calling “China’s TikTok.”
TikTok’s ban was largely derived from national security concerns related to TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and many users are moving to RedNote as an explicit form of protest.
Known as Xiaohongshu in China, RedNote is a social media platform that includes images, short-form videos, community building tools, shopping and more. It is not a one-to-one TikTok clone, and it is not owned by ByteDance. It is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology.
American TikTokers who fear losing the platform have suggested their followers join them in downloading RedNote to send a message to the U.S. government, as well as the social media company Meta, which stands to gain new users of its TikTok-like product, Reels, if the ban goes into effect. Meta reportedly used a Republican lobbying firm to spread ill will toward TikTok in 2022.