ISTANBUL

As TikTok faces a potential ban in the US due to take effect this weekend, many users are turning to Chinese-based social media app RedNote (Xiaohongshu) as an alternative.

The US Supreme Court is currently deliberating whether to ban TikTok or mandate its sale to an American company due to national security concerns, as mandated by a law passed last year.

In response, some TikTok users in the US have started using RedNote, another popular Chinese platform with around 300 million users globally.

The move has led to over 160,000 posts under the hashtag #tiktokrefugee, with RedNote becoming the most downloaded app on the US App Store this week.

Chinese users welcomed the influx, while some engaged in lighthearted exchanges with American users over language preferences.

The law restricting TikTok’s operations in the US is set to take effect on Sunday if its parent company, ByteDance, does not transfer ownership or if it is not saved by a last-minute ruling.

The proposed measures aim to address national security concerns over potential data sharing with Chinese authorities, claims ByteDance denies.

Incoming President Donald Trump, set to take office on Monday, opposes the ban, and asked the Supreme Court to do an emergency review of the measure.

In his first term as president in 2017-2021, Trump had favored a TikTok ban, but last March changed his mind after meeting with Jeff Yass, a supporter of his presidential bid and an investor in the popular short video platform.