On 11 March 2025, The Diplomat reported that a coordinated Chinese influence campaign likely orchestrated the mass migration of American users to RedNote following TikTok’s ban. The article begins:
In January 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld U.S. legislation that would effectively ban TikTok, citing national security concerns over its Chinese ownership. This legal ruling set off a wave of uncertainty for the millions of American users who rely on the app for entertainment, connection, and even business. Immediately after President Donald Trump took office, he pushed back the total ban, instead instituting a 75-day probation period, wherein TikTok has to find a U.S.-based buyer and any violations of the terms, particularly relating to data privacy and governance, could lead to another shutdown. But in the midst of this chaos, another app emerged: RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu on the mainland. The Chinese platform quickly gained traction among TikTok’s displaced users. However, what appeared to be a natural shift for users was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated relocation backed by an apparent influence campaign, which raises significant concerns about digital privacy, influence, and security…
Key Points:
• Pro-China influencers and suspicious bot accounts coordinated promotion of RedNote as a TikTok alternative, generating 22.3 million views within days.
• RedNote, despite being marketed as safer than TikTok, operates under the same Chinese laws requiring data sharing with government authorities.
• The campaign represents “perspective hacking,” a technique manipulating public perception to advance China’s digital infrastructure globally.
• This strategic app promotion demonstrates China’s evolving approach to extending influence while maintaining data access despite foreign restrictions.