Social app RedNote expanding beyond China despite privacy concerns

RedNote, also known as Little Red Book, is a social media and e-commerce platform that works like a hybrid of Instagram, Pinterest and Amazon, allowing users to share lifestyle content, discover product reviews and shop directly within the app. — Photo: Jens Kalaene/dpa

SINGAPORE: A mix of Instagram, Pinterest and Amazon, Chinese jack-of-all-trades app RedNote first came to the attention of many in Western countries as a potential haven for 'TikTok refugees' amid threats by the US government to ban the better-known Chinese platform.

In the meantime, Shanghai-headquartered RedNote has grown in popularity across South-East Asia, particularly among the region's Chinese-descent diaspora, which makes up around 15% of the population of Thailand, around a quarter of Malaysia's and a majority in Singapore.