As TikTok faces a ban in the US, hundreds of thousands of users have already migrated to another Chinese app called RedNote (Xiaohongshu), dubbing themselves "TikTok refugees." While the app has reached the top spot on Israel's App Store and second place on Google Play, security experts are raising serious concerns. Unlike TikTok, RedNote stores user data within China and faces stricter Chinese government censorship.
The social platform, created in 2013 as a Pinterest and Instagram competitor, originally focused on product reviews and influencer content. Recently, it's expanded into short-form videos, similar to TikTok, and has prepared for an influx of English-speaking users. Reports show over 700,000 new US users registered on Thursday alone, with language app Duolingo reporting a 216% increase in Americans learning Mandarin compared to last year.
However, tech experts and US government officials ironically fear that RedNote poses an even greater security and privacy threat than TikTok. "I'm concerned about Americans flocking to several social media platforms owned by our rival," Senator Mark Warner posted on Bluesky. His comments met with fierce backlash from Americans angry about legislation forcing TikTok's sale to non-Chinese owners.
Cooper Quintin, a senior technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, strongly advises against using RedNote for anyone concerned about privacy and personal security. Angela Zhang, a USC law professor specializing in Chinese tech regulation, explains that RedNote has greater potential for Chinese government data collection than TikTok because user data is stored within China and subject to Chinese laws requiring companies to share data with intelligence agencies.
Beyond data collection concerns, experts warn that RedNote's algorithms face direct Chinese government scrutiny, unlike TikTok's algorithms which are monitored by US-based Oracle. The app also implements stricter censorship, particularly around political topics, drugs, addiction, and sexuality. Reports have emerged of LGBTQ+ content being censored, with some users claiming they were blocked immediately after logging in, before posting any content.
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