Ahead of the looming ban on TikTok, the unusual rise in popularity of China-based social media app RedNote in the United States has sparked alarm among policy experts, with the popular It warns that it poses even greater security risks than video-sharing apps.
More than 700,000 U.S. users (some calling themselves “TikTok refugees”) have joined RedNote in the past two days, even though the site's content is mostly in Mandarin.
But the language barrier isn't the biggest concern.
Critics told the Post that the app has even fewer guardrails in place for U.S. users than TikTok. TikTok's parent company ByteDance faces a deadline on Sunday to sell the app in the United States due to national security concerns.
“TikTok is a four-loko response to Red Note's fentanyl painkillers,” said Nathan Riemer, a former FCC policy adviser and CEO of Fixed Gear Strategies.
“While TikTok pretends to play it safe and feigns authenticity with its U.S. presence, Red Note makes no effort to hide its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, added that RedNote poses “significant cybersecurity and privacy risks” for users in the United States.
Known in China as “Little Red Book,” the name, which means “little red book” in English, refers to the infamous propaganda pamphlet filled with quotes from Communist China's founder Mao Zedong.
The app's terms of service are written in Mandarin, creating an obstacle for English-speaking users trying to understand its data practices.
“Like TikTok, Red Note is also subject to Chinese data laws, which could give government authorities access to user data without the privacy protections expected in the U.S.,” Walmenhoven said. said.
“This platform collects a wide range of personal data, including device-specific information such as location, browsing activity, and IP address.”
As a Chinese app, Warmenhoven added that Red Note must abide by the Chinese Communist Party's standards, which “could stifle free speech and expose users to biased information.”
Representatives for Red Note did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.
The heavily censored TikTok alternative had more than 300 million monthly active users as of last year, most of them in China, according to Chinese state media.
RedNote was the most downloaded app on Apple's App Store on Tuesday, followed closely by Lemon8, another social media service owned by TikTok's parent company ByteDance.
Among the prominent US users who signed up for RedNote was former Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz. It encouraged X users to join the app and wrote, “Long live China.” Lorenz later suggested he was joking.
“We are coming to the Chinese spies and begging them to let us stay here,” one American user wrote on Red Note. “Approved. Welcome to RedNote,” a Shanghai-based user replied.
The app primarily focuses on lifestyle content and online shopping, and allows users to share short videos as well as text-based posts. It is especially popular with women, accounting for 79% of the user base.
Officials of the Chinese-language app were reportedly surprised by the sudden influx of American users.
This week, RedNote is rushing to implement content moderation for English posts and an English-to-Chinese translation tool for the app. An official told Reuters..
Congress ordered ByteDance to take control by January 19 over concerns that ByteDance's algorithms could secretly manipulate public opinion and collect sensitive personal data to spy on Americans. It gave them a reprieve to either strip them of their rights or face a complete ban by the United States.
TikTok reportedly plans to shut down its app permanently on Sunday unless the Supreme Court intervenes.
The popularity of RedNote and other Chinese-funded alternatives to TikTok may not last long.
The Divestment Act would give Congress more leeway to ban other apps controlled by foreign adversaries like China if they have more than 1 million monthly users, said Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. It is said that he was
“Once that is established, Xiaohongshu will be a natural candidate for a qualified sale,” Sobolik said.
Rep. John Moolener (R-Mich.), chairman of the House China Select Committee, which has played a key role in driving efforts against TikTok, said Red Note could be subject to similar crackdowns under the Divestment Act. He suggested that he might face.
“Chairman Mao's 'Little Red Book' contributed to China's Communist Cultural Revolution, which resulted in the tragic deaths of tens of millions of Chinese people,” Moulenard said in a statement. “Today, a Chinese app with the same name wants to become the next TikTok, complete with Chinese control.
“Parents and social media creators should be aware that the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting China-based applications to monitor and censor Americans,” Moolener added. “The good news is that President Trump has the power under the TikTok bill to force the sale of other Chinese Communist Party-controlled applications that similarly pose a national security risk.”
Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) RedNote called it “another rotten Chinese Communist Party brain social media platform.”
For years, China has implemented a so-called “Great Firewall” that bans U.S.-owned social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram and X. TikTok itself is not available in China.
In order to comply with the Chinese government's strict censorship, Red Note reported that it is restricting or banning the use of “sensitive” terms, including a list of 546 nicknames for Chinese President Xi Jinping. 2022 report by China Digital Times.
