As Americans Flock To Rednote, Privacy Advocates Warn About Surveillance

More than 700,000 US-based users person downloaded RedNote, a celebrated Chinese societal app, arsenic nan TikTok prohibition deadline looms — but they whitethorn find themselves looking for yet different TikTok replacement soon. A US charismatic told CBS News that Xiaohongshu, nan app overmuch commonly referred to arsenic RedNote, has galore of nan aforesaid issues that caused Congress to prohibition TikTok and that nan app could yet look a akin prohibition unless it divests from its China-based genitor company.

“This appears to beryllium nan benignant of app that nan statute would usage to and could look nan aforesaid restrictions arsenic TikTok if it’s not divested,” nan anonymous charismatic told CBS News connected Thursday, referring to nan Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, nan measurement nether which Congress banned TikTok. 

Among nan problems lawmakers raised successful nan lead-up to nan TikTok prohibition was nan Chinese government’s sway complete TikTok’s contented moderation practices — an rumor that appears to usage to RedNote arsenic well. Per The Information, RedNote has begun removing US users’ posts that are considered “too sensitive” for nan app, including posts discussing LGBTQ topics. Three group pinch knowledge of communications betwixt RedNote and officials pinch nan Cyberspace Administration of China told The Information that regulators are concerned astir politically delicate posts — and Chinese officials told RedNote’s authorities relations squad to guarantee that users successful China can’t spot US users’ posts.

Privacy advocates are too informing against utilizing RedNote. In an emailed statement, Cooper Quintin, nan elder portion technologist astatine nan Electronic Frontier Foundation, said “anyone for whom privateness is simply a matter of individual safety” should deliberation doubly earlier downloading RedNote, adding that nan EFF has akin concerns astir US-based apps for illustration Facebook.

“People looking for replacement societal media apps should beryllium cautious astir nan privateness implications of sharing accusation pinch an app that has not yet seen important nationalist scrutiny extracurricular of China,” Quintin said. “This is surely not a level which values free reside – it’s a dense censored exertion connected which topics specified arsenic governmental speech, narcotics and addiction, and sexuality are overmuch tightly controlled moreover than akin societal networks. This is too not a level that will protect you from US-based surveillance capitalism arsenic it shares accusation pinch Facebook and Google advertisement networks.”