TikTok users flock to Chinese app RedNote ahead of US ban

TikTok users in the United States are turning to a Chinese app called RedNote, which is threatened with a ban in just days.

The move by a user who calls himself a “TikTok refugee” made RedNote the most downloaded app in Apple's U.S. App Store on Monday.

RedNote is a competitor to TikTok popular with young people in China, Taiwan and other Mandarin-speaking populations.

It has about 300 million monthly users and looks like a cross between TikTok and Instagram. It allows users, mostly young urban women, to exchange lifestyle tips from dating to fashion.

Supreme Court justices are set to rule on a law that says TikTok must sell its U.S. operations by January 19 or face a ban in the country.

TikTok has repeatedly said it will not sell its U.S. operations, and its lawyers have warned that a ban would violate free speech protections for the platform's 170 million U.S. users.

At the same time, RedNote welcomes new users with open arms. There are 63,000 posts on the topic “TikTok Refugees,” where new users learn how to navigate the app and use basic Chinese phrases.

A new American user wrote: “Thanks to our Chinese hosts for inviting us and sorry in advance for the confusion.”

But like TikTok, there have been reports of censorship of criticism of the Chinese government on RedNote.

In Taiwan, public officials are restricted from using RedNote due to alleged security risks in the Chinese software.

As more and more American users join RedNote, some Chinese users also jokingly call themselves “Chinese spies,” referring to U.S. officials' concerns that TikTok may be used by China as a tool for espionage and political manipulation.

RedNote's Chinese name “小红书” translates to “Little Red Book,” but the app says it does not refer to a quote of the same name from Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong.

But security concerns haven't stopped users from flocking to RedNote.

Sarah Fotheringham, a 37-year-old school cafeteria worker in Utah, said the switch to RedNote was a way to “snub” the government.

“I'm just a simple person living a simple life,” Ms Fotheringham told the BBC in a RedNote message.

“I don't have something that China doesn't have, and if they want my data that bad, they can get it.”

Virginia fashion designer Marcus Robinson said he created the RedNote account over the weekend to share his clothing line and “get ahead of the trends.”

Mr Robinson told the BBC he was only “a little hesitant” to accept the terms and conditions for using the app, which were written in Mandarin.

“I couldn’t really read them, so that worried me a little bit,” he said, “but I took a chance.”

While a ban wouldn't make TikTok disappear immediately, it would require app stores to stop offering it — which could kill it over time.

But even if TikTok avoids a ban, it may not be able to stop users from switching to other platforms.

Some social media users told the BBC they found themselves scrolling more on RedNote than TikTok.

“Even if TikTok does stay, I will continue to use the platform I created on RedNote,” Tennessee tech worker Sydney Crawley told the BBC.

Ms Crowley said she gained more than 6,000 followers within 24 hours of creating her RedNote account.

“I’m going to continue to work on building a following there and see what new connections, friendships or opportunities it brings me.”

Canteen worker Ms Fotheringham said RedNote “opened up my world to China and its people”.

“I'm now able to see things I've never seen before,” she said. “Ordinary Chinese people, learning about their culture, their lives, their schools, everything, it’s so interesting.”

Mr Robinson, the designer, said the community so far had been “very welcoming”.

“I love RedNote so far…I just need to learn how to speak Mandarin!”