Earlier this week, the Chinese app Xiaohongshu, known as RedNote, shot up to become the most-downloaded app on the Apple’s U.S. App Store, partly as a “joke’s on you” moment to the American government as well as the desire for a replacement app ahead of the incoming TikTok ban.
TikTok is reportedly preparing to shut its app off from U.S. users starting Sunday, once the ban is set to take place.
Here’s what to know about RedNote:
IT IS NOT “CHINA’S TIKTOK”
Several people switching over from TikTok to RedNote believe that the app is “China’s TikTok.” But that would be Douyin, which is owned by the same parent as TikTok but only available in China. RedNote is more like if Pinterest and Instagram came together as an e-commerce juggernaut with short-form video.
ITS FOUNDERS STILL RUN THE COMPANY
RedNote was founded in 2013 by Miranda Qu Fang and Charlwin Mao, who serve as the president and CEO, respectively. It started off as a collection of PDF shopping guides before turning into a massive social media and e-commerce giant. It’s now worth more than $17 billion.
IT HAS A DEEP FOLLOWER BASE
RedNote has 300 million users, the bulk of those being young women, according to TechCrunch. TikTok, for its part, has 170 million American users. That’s attracted loads of investor attention, with backers including Tencent, Alibaba, and GGV Capital. It’s widely seen to be considered an IPO candidate.
THOUSANDS ARE FLOCKING TO THE APP
In just two days, more than 700,000 new users signed up for RedNote, a source told Reuters. That pushed U.S. downloads of the app up more than 200% year-over-year this week, according to research firm Sensor Tower. Reuters added that the company is working to find ways to moderate English-language content and build translation tools.
IT IS SUBJECT TO CHINESE DATA LAWS
RedNote, just like TikTok, is still subject to Chinese data laws. This means that protections normally afforded in the U.S. don’t apply to user data. RedNote collects information like a user’s IP address, browsing habits, and location, according to Forbes. That data can then be shared with third parties or government authorities, it added.
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