Lemon8 and RedNote are rising stars in the U.S. as TikTok faces a potential ban
Washington: Lemon8, a photo-sharing app from Bytedance, and RedNote, a content-sharing platform from Shanghai, are getting a lot of attention in the U.S. People are flocking to these apps as alternatives to TikTok, especially with a possible ban looming.
Experts warn that a new law aimed at TikTok could also catch these apps in its net. RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, is currently the top free app on the U.S. iOS store, with Lemon8 right behind it.
The U.S. Supreme Court is about to decide on a law that could lead to TikTok being banned unless ByteDance sells it by January 19. While the law specifically mentions TikTok, it could also target other Chinese apps.
According to Tobin Marcus from Wolfe Research, apps like Lemon8 and RedNote might face bans too. If TikTok is shut down, it’s unlikely that any Chinese apps could thrive without some changes.
Since Lemon8 is a ByteDance subsidiary, it’s automatically affected by the law. RedNote could also be included if its user base keeps growing in the U.S.
The law restricts any “foreign adversary controlled application,” which includes apps linked to ByteDance or TikTok. The language in the law is broad, giving the government leeway to decide what poses a national security risk.
Xiaomeng Lu from Eurasia Group believes the law will likely be upheld, even if it takes time to enforce. She thinks more Chinese apps will face scrutiny in the future.
Lu also mentioned that other popular Chinese apps like Temu and Shein might be affected, as they’ve been accused of data risks similar to TikTok.
The Supreme Court is now considering TikTok’s lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming that the law violates their free speech rights. They argue that the law is unconstitutional for them specifically, which could still impact other companies.
Experts say the law is broad enough to target various Chinese apps seen as national security threats, not just social media platforms. Meanwhile, Trump is asking the Supreme Court to delay the law so he can find a political solution after taking office, while some Democrats want to extend the January deadline.
