TikTok users are fighting back against the looming TikTok ban, possibly set to take effect on Sunday, by downloading a Chinese app called RedNote, which some users are calling “China’s TikTok.”

TikTok’s ban was largely driven by national security concerns surrounding TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and many users are switching to RedNote in explicit protest.

RedNote, called Xiaohongshu in China, is a social media platform that includes images, short videos, community building tools, shopping and more. It is not a one-to-one TikTok clone and it is not owned by ByteDance. It is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology.

American TikTokers fearful of losing the platform have suggested their followers collectively download RedNote to send a message to the US government as well as social media company Meta, which is attracting new users of its TikTok-like product Reels wants The ban comes into force. In 2022, Meta reportedly used a Republican lobbying firm to spread discontent towards TikTok.

Some have said that after a ban they are ready to implement week-long meta blackouts, meaning they will not use meta apps like Instagram and Facebook.

On Monday, RedNote was the top free download app in the Apple App Store, followed by TikTok’s sister app Lemon8.

Users say that while they wait to see whether the U.S. Supreme Court grants TikTok an eleventh-hour reprieve, they plan to use RedNote if TikTok shuts down on Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know about RedNote.

What is RedNote and what do people say about it?

RedNote is a Shanghai-based Chinese-language social media app that offers a little bit of everything Americans have come to expect from a social media app. Users can share videos, post images, create text posts and access a variety of shopping features.

The interface differs from TikTok’s in that a video does not play immediately when opening the app and users must log in to use it. However, it is similar in that it provides content that it assumes any user will enjoy.

Although RedNote was available in English, some users reported Monday that it appeared to be more accessible to the American user base as it grew in popularity.

Some posts on RedNote on Monday welcomed “TikTok refugees” to the platform.

Other users joked about meeting their TikTok-named “Chinese spy” on RedNote, and some Chinese users agreed that they were happy to find their American counterparts.

How do memes bring people to the platform?

On TikTok, some videos of people joking about saying goodbye to their “Chinese spy” (some in Mandarin) have received millions of views and likes. The memes are part of a deeper resentment some users feel toward the U.S. government for moving to ban TikTok in the name of security, even as some lawmakers use it themselves, as well as the continued politicization of other social media companies like X and Meta.

The anger was clear on TikTok as some explained why they downloaded RedNote.

“I’m going to download it on my phone. I’ll let other apps track it. I give it permission to see my location and all my contacts and then just leave it there,” one TikTok user wrote. “I’m going to let it stand as a little window through which my personal Chinese spy can see everything I do.”

Others expressed a darker tone about their decision to download RedNote, suggesting that the US government was intent on harming its population, many of whom have built large followings and full-time careers on TikTok.

“I believe our government loves and thrives when they see us unhappy, struggling, and poor,” another TikToker said. “To see RedNote, another Chinese app operated and hosted in China, being the No. 1 app in the App Store today is simply beautiful.”

When was RedNote released?

RedNote was launched in 2013. While it grew steadily over the years, it experienced its biggest boom during the pandemic when it became increasingly popular.

How many users are in the app?

According to TechCrunch, RedNote has 300 million monthly active users. TechCrunch reported that 79% of the user base is women.

Could RedNote be banned like TikTok?

As with TikTok and Lemon8, the short answer appears to be “yes” – although it is not as simple as with TikTok and Lemon8, whose parent company ByteDance is named in the law.

Experts noted that the law gives the executive branch the power to consider a country a “foreign adversary” and in doing so, it can decide to ban an app originating from that country. In this case, China is already considered a “foreign adversary” for the TikTok ban, and therefore the executive branch could theoretically decide that other apps from China also need to be banned.

But lawmakers who drafted the bill said in interviews with The Washington Post that while it could be used for foreign-controlled social media platforms, the main intent of the ban was to target TikTok and its sister applications.