WASHINGTON — TikTok customers within the US are migrating to a Chinese language app referred to as RedNote with the specter of a ban simply days away.
The transfer by customers who name themselves “TikTok refugees” has made RedNote essentially the most downloaded app on Apple’s US App Retailer on Monday.
RedNote is a TikTok competitor common with younger folks in China, Taiwan and different Mandarin-speaking populations.
It has about 300 million month-to-month customers and appears like a mix of TikTok and Instagram. It permits customers, largely younger city girls, to trade way of life suggestions from courting to trend.
Supreme Court docket justices are as a result of rule on a legislation that set a 19 January deadline for TikTok to both promote its US operations or face a ban within the nation.
TikTok has repeatedly stated that it’ll not promote its US enterprise and its legal professionals have warned {that a} ban will violate free speech protections for the platform’s 170 million customers within the US.
In the meantime, RedNote has welcomed its new customers with open arms. There are 63,000 posts on the subject “TikTok refugee”, the place new customers are taught tips on how to navigate the app and tips on how to use fundamental Chinese language phrases.
“To our Chinese language hosts, thanks for having us — sorry prematurely for the chaos,” a brand new US person wrote.
However like TikTok, there have additionally been experiences of censorship on RedNote in terms of criticism of the Chinese language authorities.
In Taiwan, public officers are restricted from utilizing RedNote as a result of alleged safety dangers of Chinese language software program.
As extra US customers joined RedNote, some Chinese language customers have additionally jokingly referred to themselves as “Chinese language spies”, a reference to US officers’ issues that TikTok could possibly be utilized by China as a instrument for spying and political manipulation.
RedNote’s Chinese language identify, Xiaohongshu, interprets to Little Crimson Ebook, however the app says it’s not a reference to Chinese language communist chief Mao Zedong’s e book of quotations with the identical identify.
However safety issues haven’t deterred customers from flocking to RedNote.
Sarah Fotheringham, a 37-year-old faculty canteen employee in Utah, says the transfer to RedNote is a method to “snub” the federal government.
“I am only a easy individual dwelling a easy life,” Ms Fotheringham informed the BBC in a RedNote message.
“I haven’t got something that China would not, and if they need my knowledge that unhealthy they’ll have it.”
Marcus Robinson, a dressmaker in Virginia, stated he created his RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothes model and “be forward of the curve”.
Robinson informed the BBC he was was solely “barely hesitant” about accepting the phrases and situations of utilizing the app, which have been written in Mandarin.
“I wasn’t capable of really learn them in order that was slightly regarding to me,” he stated, “however I took my probability.”
Whereas a ban is not going to make TikTok disappear instantly, it should require app shops to cease providing it – which might kill it over time.
However even when TikTok dodges a ban, it might show helpless in opposition to customers shifting to different platforms.
Some social media customers inform the BBC that they discover themselves scrolling on RedNote greater than TikTok.
“Even when TikTok does keep I’ll proceed to make use of my platform I’ve created on RedNote,” Tennessee tech employee Sydney Crawley informed the BBC.
Ms Crawley stated she acquired over 6,000 followers inside 24 hours of making her RedNote account.
“I’ll proceed to attempt to construct a following there and see what new connections, friendships, or alternatives it brings me.”
Ms Fotheringham, the canteen employee, stated RedNote “opened my world as much as China and its folks”.
“I’m now capable of see issues I by no means would have seen,” she stated. “Common Chinese language folks, discovering out about their tradition, life, faculty, every part, it has been a lot enjoyable.”
The group to date has been “tremendous welcoming”, stated Robinson, the designer.
“I really like RedNote to date … I simply must discover ways to communicate Mandarin!” — BBC
