Rednote, once a minor player in China's social media landscape, now aspires to become a global giant. To facilitate this expansion, the company has launched Rednote.com, a new web domain for its international users, and is redirecting some users away from its original Chinese domain, Xiaohongshu.com. This move comes alongside the publication of separate terms-of-service documents for domestic and foreign users.

Since 2013, Rednote has grown to become one of China's largest social media platforms with over 300 million monthly active users. However, as it ventured into international markets in January 2025 following the temporary ban on TikTok in the US, it faced challenges unique to operating in different regulatory environments.

The company has even registered Rednote Technology PTE LTD in Singapore and claims to use servers there for hosting international user data. This strategy reflects the broader issue of data separation that Chinese social platforms must navigate when expanding globally. The move is not without concerns, as some users have reported their accounts being automatically converted from the Chinese to the international version.

Moving forward, Rednote's content policies indicate that while both domestic and international audiences see similar content initially, there may be significant differences in the future. For instance, the policies specify varying age restrictions and different guidelines for political content on the Chinese platform compared to explicit prohibitions against discrimination on race and religion for the international version.

Despite these efforts, concerns remain among users who value Rednote as a bridge between China and the wider world. The fears are that any corporate split could undermine this connection, leading to less engagement with Chinese content and more American-centric posts.