2023-04-25 09:00:11 ET
Chinese technology giant %ByteDance is pushing a new social media app in the U.S. as its popular short form video app %TikTok faces a possible nationwide ban in America.
Called %Lemon8 the new app appears to be a blend of popular social media platforms %Instagram and %Pinterest ().
Billed as a “lifestyle app,” Lemon8 focuses on health, wellness, and beauty. It was first launched in the Japanese market in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to analytics firms data.ai, Lemon8 was the second most downloaded app in the U.S. in the past month. Lemon8 has racked up 17 million downloads globally since its launch three years ago.
Analysts point out that many of the algorithms used in Lemon8 are similar to or exactly the same as the algorithms found in TikTok.
Lemon8’s push in the U.S. market comes as American lawmakers debate whether TikTok should be banned nationwide on national security concerns.
ByteDance has been accused of using the TikTok app to track people’s movement and steal their personal information.
In recent months, several governments around the world have banned civil servants from having the TikTok app on their work phones.
Lemon8?s links to ByteDance and TikTok are likely to come under the scrutiny of U.S. regulators given its quick rise in popularity among Americans.
Executives in the U.S. tech sector have called for the American government and regulators to come up with a comprehensive framework to better asses the risks posed by Chinese internet apps.
ByteDance is a privately held company and its stock is not publicly traded.