What is RedNote? Before the ban, TikTok “refugees” flock to the popular Chinese app

imminent On TikTok In the US it has caused a mass exodus of “refugee” content creators to alternative social media platforms – and a Chinese app called Chairman Mao's Little Red Book seems to be the most popular.

Shanghai-based Xiaohongshu, aka RedNote in the US, catapulted to the top of the App Store in the free apps category this week as social media users left TikTok in anticipation of its shutdown on Sunday, January 20.

In just two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, downloads of RedNote in the US this week were up more than 200 percent from last year and 194 percent from the previous week, according to estimates from app data research firm Sensor Tower.

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But with this surge in popularity comes a stark warning from one of the top China hawks in Congress, who fears the app's overt ties to China could put American users at risk.

“Chairman Mao's Little Red Book was instrumental in China's Communist Cultural Revolution, which led to the tragic deaths of tens of millions of Chinese citizens. Today, a Chinese app of the same name wants to be the next TikTok — controlled by the Chinese,” says House. GOP Select Committee Chairman John Molnar, R-Mic., told Fox Business.

What is RedNote?

The app store description calls Xiahongshu “a lifestyle platform that inspires people to explore and connect with a wide range of lifestyles.” The app claims to have more than 300 million daily users and seems to be doing the same Instagram or Pinterestwith users able to post text, images or short video content.

Founded in 2013 as a venture capital startup, Xiahongshu is now widely regarded as China's go-to search engine for recommendations on popular topics ranging from beauty, fashion, travel and food, according to Reuters. to be

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Users can participate in discussions, share each other's posts, contact each other and make purchases. The platform has recently made a big push to sell live streaming.

There is no international version of the app that is in Mandarin. It is owned by Xingyin Information Technology, a Chinese company. While users have the option to change the language of the app, most of the content is in Mandarin.

Xiahongshu was founded in Shanghai in 2013 by Miranda Ku, its current president, and Charlevin Mao, its CEO. It was originally called the “Hong Kong Shopping Guide” and was designed for Chinese tourists looking for advice outside the mainland, according to Reuters.

Security concerns

TikTok said on Friday that its platform would be released on Sunday after the US Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan rule passed last year requiring Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance to divest the app, citing its ties to CCP. It will be “dark”.

Legislators have increased national security Worry about China It could use this app to download user data or otherwise send certain government-sponsored content to US users.

Moolenaar raised similar concerns with RedNote, suggesting that the law used to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok could similarly apply to platform owners.

“Parents and social media creators should be aware that the CCP is exploiting China-based apps to monitor and censor Americans. The good news is that President Trump has the authority under the TikTok bill to ban other CCP-controlled apps that pose national security risks.” Also, “he said.

Xiahongshu did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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TikTok content creators who have jumped on Xiahongshu have warned other US users to beware of the platform's strict content moderation and Chinese censorship policies.

An American user named “Savannah”, “This is for refugees and my fellow Americans on TikTok, behave on this app! You better behave because everyone in China is very kind to us, because we have their cool and interesting apps only to We colonize because our government is bad. It was released Wednesday, CBS News reported.

If the complaint about TikTok is that it collects too much user data, Xiahongshu has the same problem, and arguably worse.

RedNote's privacy policy states the platform It collects a lot of data Forbes reported that it includes sensitive information such as users' location via IP address, browsing habits and more.

The terms and conditions are written in Mandarin, and English users have difficulty translating them.

Additionally, Xiahongshu is subject to the same Chinese data laws as TikTok, which may allow CCP authorities access to user data, but without the privacy protections required by US law.

“This platform collects extensive personal data, including location, browsing activity, and device-specific information such as IP addresses. It may also share this data with third-party service providers or shared by government officials, which raises concerns about user privacy.” NordVPN expert told Forbes.

However, some TikTok users have dismissed these concerns. Kayla Murphy is a lifestyle content creator with over 20,000 followers on TikTok. He told CT Insider He is not worried about Chinese data collection.

Personally, I'm not worried. I live a very honest and open life and I don't feel like I have anything to hide. If the governments of China or the United States want to know that I am a 28-year-old. An old woman who loves travel, food and my cat, said Murphy Wednesday. “My bigger concerns are about systemic issues like health care and the economy.”

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Murphy said he uses Google Translate to add Mandarin subtitles to his RedNote videos so Chinese users can follow his content.

“One of my favorite posts, featuring my cat, Wednesday, includes a simple introduction in both English and Chinese,” Murphy told the publication. Since most of my content focuses on visual storytelling—like travel and lifestyle—I think it will naturally transcend language barriers.

Murphy said he wouldn't be surprised if RedNote becomes the next target in the US government's battle with social media platforms.

“It's like a strike game, but young people will always find a way to adapt,” he says.

Fox Business Network's Chase Williams and Reuters contributed to this report.