TikTok’s imminent ban is pushing people to RedNote, another Chinese app, and the irony is just too rich

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TikTok’s imminent ban is pushing people to RedNote, another ******** app, and the irony is just too rich

Spend a few minutes on TikTok right now and you’ll see that it’s filled with goodbyes, heartfelt thank-yous, considerable anger at US politicians, and a lot of chatter about something called RedNote.

Zero hour is fast approaching for TikTok, with the US Supreme Court set to deliver its ruling on whether or not the TikTok ban should be delayed or allowed to take effect on January 19, which happens to be the day before past and future President Donald Trump takes office. Trump has flip-flopped on the TikTok topic. After launching the call for a ban during his first administration he’s fallen in deep like with the platform, and

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, although if the ban happens it’s not clear how he can reverse it.

While RedNote is obviously a workable solution for those who aren’t ready to give up TikTok, it’s also another ******** app.

While the Supreme Court has yet to rule, most

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during oral arguments as a sign that they were not on TikTok’s side. There’s been late word that TikTok’s parent company, the China-based ByteDance, might agree to let Elon Musk of all people buy up TikTok. Since the company has characterized that report to

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I’m betting that it’s just a lot of wishful thinking on the part of Musk and X (formerly

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) fanboys.

Trust me, that won’t happen.

An alternative emerges

What is happening, though, is that TikTok users building digital life rafts, and floating over to other platforms. Many creators already cross-post content on

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Reels and

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Shorts, but nothing feels quite like TikTok… nothing, that is, except for RedNote.

I’d tell you to search for ‘RedNote’ in the Apple App Store, but you’d quickly run into some confusion. This is a ******** app. No, I don’t mean just another ********-owned App. This app has a ********-language name in the app store. It’s the top result when you enter ‘RedNote,’ but you’ll never see that name anywhere on the official app. When I threw the ******** characters into a translation app it came back with ‘Red Note’ or ‘Red Book’.

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Setting up RedNote (Image credit: Future)

Naturally, I downloaded the app and got started. At first, setting up an account was, despite the instructions being in English, a bit of a challenge. The app asks you to enter a phone number to set up an account (it allows for all the necessary international prefixes) and to use an SMS PIN code sent to that number to log in. I tried this a few times but no PIN arrived. Then, hours later one did, but the system rejected it. I tried again, and more hours later a useless code arrived. I shelved the app for the night and tried again in the morning. A code instantly appeared, and I used it to quickly activate my account.

Set-up involved entering my age (those under 14 ostensibly have to verify their identity, but I realize that RedNote has no way of knowing if you lied about your age) and selecting some option interests. You should also hop into settings and ensure that your language setting is English.

TikTok Refugees

RedNote is bursting with #TikTokRefugees as they refer to themselves. They’re introducing themselves, and being greeted in kind by RedNote veterans enjoying the influx of English-speaking users.

The app looks and works much like TikTok, but it’s not an exact match. The For You Page is a grid of jump-off points instead of an instantly scrollable stream of videos. For that, you’d want to check out ‘Trending.’ I also noted that the video-editing capabilities are minimal compared to the robust tools in TikTok.

There are a lot of ********-language posts and, as you would expect from the TikTok crowd, memes about US users trying to quickly learn ********. There are also imposters, like a fake Pedro Pascal and a ton of unlicensed US content from TV shows and movies. Comments seem to be a mix of English and ********.

While RedNote is obviously a workable solution for those who aren’t ready to give up TikTok, it’s also another ******** app. Unlike TikTok, there’s been no effort to Amercanize the platform, and there’s been no effort to protect our data from the ******** ********** Party (CCP), which has access to the data of any company operating within its borders.

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RedNote has its share of imposters and memes (Image credit: Future)

The irony is rich here, but I also think that’s the point. Angry TikTok users who think the US Government is making a massive mistake are showing them just how quickly they can make an end run around these rules. Take away TikTok and they will not necessarily flood to American companies and their products, i.e., Meta-owned

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Reels and

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-owned

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Shorts. Also, let’s pause for a second to consider the name: RedNote. The ******** flag features five gold stars on an all-red background. Red is literally a cultural symbol in China.

RedNote’s rise as the current number one app (TikTok is now number 13) is especially comical because, unlike TikTok, there’s nothing remotely American about this app or the company running it, Xingin. There’s no US arm running operations, and no promise of US data protection on US servers. It’s the CCP free-for-all US lawmakers feared in the case of TikTok.

What happens next

I envision a rapidly developing game of whack-a-mole. TikTok gets banned, and RedNote takes its place. RedNote Gets banned, and Lemon8 (also owned by TikTok) steps in. And Lemon8 isn’t just waiting in the wings – it’s already Number 2 on the Top Apps chart, and is also part of the TikTok Refugee conversation. But it too could get banned, and then something else, likely developed in China, will take its place.

I don’t know what’s going to happen between now and January 19. TikTok might survive, but in a more likely scenario it will eventually disappear. The app will still work on your phone for a time, but that span could be a matter of days or even hours as it becomes a breach of US law for third-party companies to support the platform; Oracle, for instance, will no longer be able to host and store TikTok data. So, while the app won’t disappear from your phones it will no longer be operable. But you might not care, because you’re already on RedNote, Lemon8, or some other relatively unsanctioned social media platform.

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#TikToks #imminent #ban #pushing #people #RedNote #******** #app #irony #rich

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