TikTok should be banned in the United States in a few days. The official date is set for January 19th but the arrival of the new presidency led by Donald Trump could shuffle the cards and keep the app in place on the smartphones of millions of American citizens. In the meantime, however, users seem to have already decided on their emergency plan.
Alternatives may be needed given that TikTok risks being banned in the US. There United States Supreme Court on January 19th he will decide whether or not to confirm the law for ban social mediain which case ByteDance will have to decide whether close or hand over the platform. At the same time, as the deadline looms, two other Chinese apps are climbing the App Store in the US. Xiaohongshualso called RedNote, e Lemon8, also owned by ByteDance, they reached the top of the rankings.
It’s unclear what’s behind the apps’ rise. Users might star looking for alternatives to TikTok in view of the possible ban or perhaps they simply like the apps. There’s also a third possibility: users could use apps like form of silent protest. Second Meagan Loystfounder of the Gen Z VCs collective, “is retaliation against the government, in the broadest sense simple of the term“.
How they work Xiaohongshu and Lemon8
Xiaohongshu looks like Instagram, Lemon8 instead it is more similar to Pinterest. In reality, Lemon8 seems to have been born exactly as plan B to TikTok. And in fact it was presented as social with “lo same recommendation engine that helps TikTok succeed.” However, these apps could face the same problems if the US government decides to target them. The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act applies to social media platforms owned by countries that United States government considers foreign adversaries. The law provides only a few exceptions, including apps where “product reviews or travel information are published”.
Because more and more people are looking for their childhood home on Google Maps
The TikTok ban in the United States
It could be a false spring or the rise of new Chinese apps, the fate of Xiaohongshu and Lemon8 is unclear. Meanwhile, all eyes are on TikTok. Chinese social media has been in the sights of the United States for years. The accusation is spy on users, but the biggest concern is not so much the collection of data (which every social network has done, Facebook, Instagram, used by the Chinese government to “undermine democratic institutions, encourage internet addiction among young people, spy and influence users“.
TikTok claims that by banning the app the government would violate Americans’ rights to freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment, and that no one can prevent users from expressing ideas on a platform. Not only that, according to TikTok the government’s concerns about national security are “speculative” and do not justify the violation of user rights to freedom of speech.
