TOPICS 

    Subscribe to our newsletter

     By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use.

    FOLLOW US

    • About Us
    • |
    • Contribute
    • |
    • Contact Us
    • |
    • Sitemap
    Half Tones

    ‘Little Red Book’ Pulled From Chinese App Stores

    Jul 31, 2019

    The popular lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, has been removed from Chinese app stores on Android devices, financial news outlet Caixin reported Tuesday.

    Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu is a platform on which so-called influencers share tips on lifestyle, cosmetics, travel, and other topics. According to an company memo last month from Xiaohongshu’s founder, the app has over 85 million monthly active users. It’s such an indispensable platform for celebrities that Kim Kardashian opened a Xiaohongshu account last September to share insights into her daily life.

    Huang Wei, a lawyer at Zhejiang Shenggang Law Firm, told Sixth Tone that the app may have been taken offline because of false or misleading content about cosmetic surgery, or posts containing sexual or drug-related content. He emphasized that content-rich platforms like Xiaohongshu would be wise to use both technology and human staff to ensure that they don’t fall foul of regulators.

    Last month, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it had found evidence of Xiaohongshu collecting its users’ personal information without their consent or misleading them into disclosing such data.

    As of Wednesday evening, Xiaohongshu remains available for download on Google Play and Apple’s app store. Mobile users who already have the app installed on their phones have not been affected. (Image: VCG)