Could TikTok alternative RedNote app face a ban in the US too?

As TikTok faces an impending ban in the United States due to national security concerns, millions of its users are flocking to RedNote, a Chinese-owned social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu in China.

However, RedNote’s rapid rise to popularity has sparked concerns that it might face the same scrutiny as TikTok, given its similarities in ownership and potential vulnerabilities to Chinese government influence.

With TikTok’s US ban initially set to take effect on January 19, driven by fears that its ownership by Chinese company ByteDance poses a risk to national security, millions of Americans have begun migrating to alternatives.

RedNote has emerged as a clear frontrunner, with nearly three million US users joining in a single day earlier this week, according to analytics firm Similarweb.

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Before this surge, RedNote had fewer than 700,000 daily active users in the US, a number that skyrocketed as TikTok’s ban approached. The app’s sudden popularity also pushed it to the top of app store download charts, outpacing other alternatives like Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app.

The migration highlights a critical issue: while users may be abandoning TikTok over its ties to China, they are flocking to another app owned by a Chinese company, Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology, potentially perpetuating the same risks.

Does RedNote have any national security implications?

The rise of RedNote has raised alarms among US lawmakers and cybersecurity experts. A US official told CBS News that RedNote could face the same fate as TikTok if it is deemed a national security threat.

The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” signed into law last April, allows the government to compel foreign-owned platforms with over 1 million active US users to divest their operations or face a ban if deemed a security risk.

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Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at Nord VPN, expressed concerns about RedNote’s lack of data protections compared to TikTok. Unlike TikTok, which stores user data on US-based servers, RedNote’s data is reportedly stored on servers in China, placing it squarely under Beijing’s jurisdiction.

“RedNote was never meant for outside of the China market. All of the data sharing and all the servers to which the data is being shared is in China,” Warmenhoven told CBS News. This, he added, makes RedNote exempt from data protection laws that could offer oversight to the US government.

Is RedNote also censored?

Another significant concern is RedNote’s content moderation practices, which appear to reflect strict Chinese censorship standards. Unlike TikTok, where users can express diverse political opinions, searches for terms like “Xi Jinping,” “Free Hong Kong,” or “Taiwan” on RedNote yield little to no results.

A CBS News analysis revealed that RedNote actively suppresses politically sensitive topics, aligning with Beijing’s censorship policies.

The app’s censorship practices extend to its algorithm, which reportedly limits the spread of politically or socially sensitive issues. Warmenhoven stated that “users are not going to a place with more freedom” by switching to RedNote. The app, he noted, moderates content differently and prioritises narratives aligned with Chinese government interests.

In response to its growing US user base, RedNote has begun scaling up its censorship infrastructure. Job postings in mainland China advertise positions for English content moderators, offering monthly salaries between $950 and $1,200. This move suggests that the platform is preparing to tighten its grip on content as its global audience expands.

Is Beijing involved with RedNote?

Experts warn that RedNote’s ties to a Chinese company make it susceptible to potential exploitation by the Chinese government. China’s laws grant the government significant control over domestic tech companies, including access to user data and oversight of algorithms.

If the Chinese government can take personal data from your phone for TikTok, it can take your data for RedNote, one expert noted. While not every Chinese company operates under full government control at all times, the risk of coercion remains a central concern.

Warmenhoven also highlighted the challenges posed by RedNote’s Mandarin-language terms and conditions, which many non-Chinese-speaking users may not fully understand. This lack of transparency further complicates the platform’s growing presence in the US.

Will RedNote face a ban?

The question of whether RedNote will face the same fate as TikTok hinges on several factors, including the app’s growing user base and its potential to serve as a vehicle for Chinese influence. National security experts argue that the larger an app’s audience, the greater the risk it poses.

Some analysts believe that the US government’s approach to regulating Chinese tech platforms must go beyond binary decisions to ban or allow specific apps. A more nuanced framework could address broader concerns about data security and covert foreign influence.

However, the legal and political challenges surrounding such actions remain complex. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has challenged the US ban on constitutional grounds, arguing that it violates free speech protections.

A Supreme Court ruling on the matter is pending, and its outcome could influence how future cases, including RedNote, are handled.

With inputs from agencies