What Is RedNote & Is It Safe for TikTok Refugees?

With a US ban looming over TikTok, a new key player is entering the social media market. RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, has been catching much attention recently after picking up so-called ‘TikTok refugees.’

TikTok is scheduled to be banned in the US if its Chinese-based owner, ByteDance, doesn’t sell off its US business by January 19. This comes amid concerns that the platform has been sharing data with the Chinese government.

With 170 million monthly users in the US alone, the migration of users from TikTok to RedNote could have massive implications for the future of the social media market.

Indeed, we’ve already seen the newly hot Chinese app riding high, achieving the number one spot on the App Store and reaching over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store.

Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What’s Happening With TikTok?
3. What Is RedNote? A Chinese Company Filling the TikTok Vacuum
4. How RedNote Users Are Reacting to TikTok Refugees
5. Is RedNote Safe? Censored?
6. What’s the Long-Term Appeal of RedNote?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. What’s Happening With TikTok?
3. What Is RedNote? A Chinese Company Filling the TikTok Vacuum
Show Full Guide
4. How RedNote Users Are Reacting to TikTok Refugees
5. Is RedNote Safe? Censored?
6. What’s the Long-Term Appeal of RedNote?
7. The Bottom Line
8. FAQs
9. References

What’s Happening With TikTok?

Due to concerns over TikTok spying on American citizens, Congress passed a bill in April 2024 to force TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the company to a US-based owner or cease operations in the US by January 19, 2025.

The bill began in response to concerns that the company was sharing data about US citizens with the CCP. These concerns were amplified further when, in 2022, ByteDance admitted that employees had used geolocation data to monitor the physical movements of reporters in an attempt to track their sources.

Since the bill was passed, TikTok launched an appeal against the decision, which was originally rejected by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit due to national security concerns. The Supreme Court agreed to consider the appeal.

The court received oral arguments on January 10, 2025, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett notably stating, “The law doesn’t say TikTok has to shut down. It says ByteDance has to divest.”

While it would be speculative to guess what the court’s decision will be, the comment of Justice Barrett and others on the court did not appear enthusiastic about the prospect of overturning the ban.

What Is RedNote? A Chinese Company Filling the TikTok Vacuum

With TikTok sitting under the sword of Damocles courtesy of the US government, many users have begun flocking to RedNote as an alternative for short-form video content.

RedNote is a natural competitor, as it offers a similar user interface to TikTok, where users can scroll through video, image, and text content.

Natalie Andreas, a professor in the communication studies department at the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, told Techopedia:

“RedNote is an intriguing platform that combines elements of Instagram, Pinterest, and Reddit with e-commerce features.”

RedNote was first launched in 2013 by Xingin Information Technology, which was founded by Charlwin Mao and Miranda Qu. Since then, the app has acquired over 300 million monthly active users and generated over $1 billion in profit throughout 2024, making it one of the biggest social media platforms in the world today.

“REDnote, the overseas version of the leading social platform ‘Xiaohongshu’ in China, is a dynamic lifestyle platform for young people to share experiences, explore a real, beautiful, and diverse world, and find the lifestyle they desire,” explains the ‘About’ section on Google Play.

RedNote’s primary language is Mandarin, but users can also change their settings to view content in English. However, viewing terms and conditions in Mandarin could mean many US users don’t know precisely what data collection practices they’re signing up for.

American adopters of the platform appear to be broadly split between users who are trying to follow content creators who’ve migrated to RedNote as an alternative to TikTok and those who are trying to protest the US government’s decision to ban the platform by moving to another Chinese-owned social media provider.

How RedNote Users Are Reacting to TikTok Refugees

One of the biggest stories surrounding RedNote’s surge is how American and Chinese users have come together. Many users have been vocal on X about how welcoming the platform’s user community is, with one user known as Zac Bowling posting that “Everyone is learning Mandarin. Existing users are super welcoming.”

This is the funniest thing to happen with the TikTok ban. TikTok refugees are flocking to an actual Chinese owned clone of TikTok called RedNote rather than use Meta or YouTube to the point it’s #1 on the AppStore now. It’s wild. Everyone is learning mandarin. Existing users are… pic.twitter.com/yuu0a7uiun

— Zac Bowling 🥑 (@zbowling) January 13, 2025

Not only are many users commenting on how willing the community is to assist with translations, but we’ve also seen a number of comments depicting American users helping Chinese users with their homework.

Americans are helping the Chinese with their English homework in the comments of RedNote😭 pic.twitter.com/phHLUsG0TY

— Massimo (@massmandato) January 13, 2025

Olivia Moore, AI apps partner at a16z, called the American migration to Xiaohongshu (RedNote) ‘the craziest accidental cultural exchange ever.’

“Hundreds of thousands of users landed in an app not localized or in their language. One day in, and it’s already considered rude not to subtitle videos in the other language.”

At this stage, it appears that the primarily Chinese RedNote community has been extremely welcoming to American TikTok refugees, who’ve also responded positively in kind.

Is RedNote Safe? Censored?

While the future looks bright for RedNote, some potential issues with the platform need to be acknowledged. Privacy and security concerns are at the top of the list.

“While RedNote offers an alternative to TikTok, its security profile has been under-explored by the information security community. I’d advise users [to] approach it cautiously, protecting their personal data where possible,” Dray Agha, security operations manager at Huntress, told Techopedia.

“RedNote is Chinese-owned, which raises concerns about compliance with Chinese data-sharing laws. As a result, user data—including location, device details, and interactions—may be at risk. Many social media apps, including RedNote, often request extensive permissions and may seek more control over your mobile device than you realize, so it’s good practice to stay vigilant.”

It’s important to note that RedNote or Xiaohongshu’s December 2023 privacy policy states that the company may share, transfer, or publicly disclose user’s personal information if “it is necessary for the performance of statutory duties or obligations” and “other circumstances provided by laws and regulations.”

This ambiguous language suggests that user data could be shared with Chinese authorities. These concerns are plausible enough that public officials in Taiwan are restricted from using the platform.

What’s the Long-Term Appeal of RedNote?

Based on what we’ve seen so far, it’s hard to say if RedNote will become a force to be reckoned with in the US. Once the short-term novelty wears off, will American users stick with a user experience primarily oriented toward Chinese users? This seems unlikely without a significant overhaul.

Likewise, even if the TikTok refugees do commit to staying on the platform, RedNote’s approach to data sharing and location in Shanghai is likely to attract the attention of US regulators once again.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see if RedNote has what it takes to capitalize on this momentum and keep US-based users around for the long term.

The Bottom Line

RedNote’s rise demonstrates firsthand that regulations can have unintended consequences. Trying to push TikTok into a sale has actually pushed American users toward another Chinese social app.

The big question now is whether RedNote’s user experience and community can retain these users and compete against the biggest social media companies in the world.

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