Users of the spyware-infected Chinese social media platform TikTok are reportedly flocking to another app called Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”) in the face of an impending ban by the United States.
Xiaohongshu, which Chinese media call the “Red Note” in an apparent attempt to distance itself from its Chinese name, is also under the control of the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of Mao Zedong, history's champion of murder. It is named after the “Little Red Book''.
US Supreme Court on Friday unanimously supported The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, requires TikTok to separate from its China-based parent company ByteDance or face a ban in the United States.
“While there is no question that TikTok provides a unique and far-reaching source of expression, participation, and community for more than 170 million Americans, Congress has been well-supported by the nation's “We determined that the sale was necessary to address security concerns regarding TikTok's data collection practices and relationships with foreign adversaries,” the Supreme Court said in its ruling.
TikTok claimed It will go “black” in the US on Sunday because it was “technically, commercially and legally impossible” to separate from ByteDance.
Disappointed TikTok users flocked to “Little Red Book” as an alternative, which became the most downloaded free app on Apple's online store last week. Downloads of Xiaohongshu tripled year-over-year across all platforms, increasing by 194 percent in the last week alone, and Google searches for information about Xiaohongshu increased by 4,900%.
The app announced that it gained more than 700,000 new users between Monday and Wednesday of this week. Xiaohongshu's “TikTok Refugee” hashtag quickly racked up 250 million views and 5.5 million comments.
Since its introduction in 2013, Xiaohongshu has attracted 300 million users, the majority of whom are women. Originally designed as an online marketplace called Hong Kong Shopping Guide for Chinese tourists, it has evolved into a full-fledged social media platform. As the platform grows in popularity.
Due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, the number of users increased significantly, and Xiaohongshu's market value rose to $17 billion. The user experience is now a photo and video sharing platform more similar to Instagram than TikTok, and while there is still an online shopping feature, it is currently limited to Chinese users.
Literally “Little Red Book” translate to the “Little Red Book,” the name of Mao Zedong's founding document of Chinese communism. Mao is a historical figure biggest mass murderer His victims numbered up to 80 million people, many of whom were killed slowly and gruesomely through forced starvation. Mao Wenchao, the founder of Xiaohongshu, is reported to have said: claimed The name of the application was inspired by the colors of his alma mater, Stanford Business School.
TikTok users are apparently aware of Xiaohongshu's ideological underpinnings, with some of the debut videos by self-proclaimed “TikTok refugees” clearly using their embrace of Chinese communism as a way to express disdain for their country. It is an expression of anti-American rants by people who viewed the US as a country.
“This is for my fellow TikTok refugees and Americans, take action on this app! Everyone in China is so nice to us just because our government sucks, they You better behave because you’re colonizing a cute freaking app,” said Xiaohongshu’s post from an American user. quotation According to CBS News.
“Our government is insane if they think we're going to vote for this TikTok ban. We're going to develop a new Chinese app and here we are,” another user said. I did. quotation By CNN.
“Our government is defaming China and claiming that China will use TikTok to antagonize the American people. We all think that's ridiculous. So, in protest, and in a humorous way, “We collectively decided to join Red Note and willingly give our information to China to show the government that we don't care and to challenge them.” a third person said. quotation By the Chinese state Global Times.
One difference pointed out by Americans who moved to Xiaohongshu was that, unlike TikTok, it actually has Chinese users. Chinese government maintain It's another version of TikTok called Douyin, and TikTok users don't seem to think much about its meaning.
of Global Times Chinese “netizens” happily reported on Tuesday that they are welcoming TikTok refugees “with open arms.”
“My friends from TikTok, I would like to say that you are not refugees, but brave explorers,” one Chinese user declared. Some people have created welcome videos for American newcomers with tips on how to use the app and translate Chinese posts.
“For a long time we haven't been able to connect and talk like this and now we can finally do it and it feels so special. This is a great way for us to get to know each other and maybe even be together.” It’s a real opportunity to create something great in … We don’t just welcome you here, we really, really hope you stay here,” a Chinese Xiaohongshu user said in a viral post caught the spotlight According to NPR.
bloomberg news predicted “The Great Leap to Red Note,” a cheeky reference to Mao Zedong’s mass murders, has now seen users screaming loudly about TikTok’s “censorship” play into the hands of the world’s worst censorship authoritarians. Because you are aware of this, you will fail. system.
“Those who equate the Chinese government's internet policy with that of the United States, however broken, are in for a rude awakening. And new Chinese friends joining the political debate are in for a rude awakening. should recognize that they are at greater risk if repression is unavoidable,” predicted Katherine Sobeck of Bloomberg.
As other observers have pointed out, they are baffled by Americans trying to make claims about “free speech” using an app named after a foundational work of totalitarian ideology. But in Xiaohongshu, the new arrivals are posting pictures of cats, so it's all fun and games. Exchange recipes and destroy Western Civilization. As soon as one of them tries to bring up a topic that is prohibited by the Chinese government or criticizes the Chinese government, they will quickly discover what censorship really is.
And despite well-founded concerns that Western social media companies are mining data and manipulating users with algorithms, Facebook and Instagram have announced that they have millions of AI-enhanced users. cannot compete with China's electronic surveillance forces.
CBS News described the information environment in which these “TikTok refugees” are stumbling:
RedNote seems to have more content is strictly inspected More than a TikTok post. According to an analysis by CBS News, a Red Note search for China's authoritarian president, Xi Jinping, yielded no results.
The phrase “free Hong Kong” also brought no results. A search for “Taiwan” brings up several memes welcoming Americans to the platform, but users are referring to the democratically-governed island just off the coast of China, which the U.S. protects from invasion. We must recognize the narrative imposed by the Chinese government that we have an obligation to help China, and that we have an inseparable relationship with China.
Similar searches for these terms on TikTok found a wide range of political opinions from users, including posts harshly criticizing Chinese censorship.
CBS ominously added that Xiaohongshu appears to be recruiting English-speaking censors to deal with the influx of Western users who might say things the Chinese Communist Party doesn't want said. The job posting specifies that applicants will spend one day “reviewing” English content.
Some TikTok refugees are encouraging their compatriots to avoid political topics. This is probably because I want to be polite to my new Chinese friends, but also probably because I understand that if I talk about politics I'll get a short and unfortunate lesson in how communist censorship works. Dew. Knowing how much former TikTokers know, that strategy is likely to fail. Seemingly harmless topic The Chinese Communist Party considers itself “political.”
“Welcome, but please don't say anything about LGBTQ+. Thank you!” one of Xiaohongshu's Chinese users exclaimed to the newly arrived Americans. That truce won't last long.
Cybersecurity experts further pointed out that Xiaohongshu is probably even worse than TikTok in terms of data sharing and privacy violations. all Because some of the data is stored on servers in China, the app is not bound by even the minimum data protections that apply to TikTok.
A U.S. official told CBS News that Xiaohongshu is subject to the same laws as TikTok and could be given the same ultimatum to break free from Chinese Communist Party influence or be banned from operating in the United States. spoke.
Canadian authorities pointed to the influx of similar TikTok users from their home country to Xiaohongshu in a clever attempt to warn the public of the information security crisis facing them.
“Canadians need to make informed decisions about their personal data and carefully consider how it is used.” said François Pilippe Champagne Minister of Industry.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which has expressed serious concerns about TikTok, hinted that it had similar concerns about Xiaohongshu. Despite these warnings, Xiaohongshu last week became the top free app for Droid and Apple phones in Canada as well as the United States.