Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, better known internationally as RedNote, is scrambling to increase its ability to moderate content in English after hundreds of thousands of American users suddenly joined the platform in anticipation of TikTok’s possible ban in the United States. United on Sunday.
WIRED this week identified a handful of job openings posted on recruiting platforms by technology outsourcing companies in China, seeking content moderators who can help manage the unexpected influx of English-language videos and posts being uploaded to Xiaohongshu. Several new hiring notices were also posted, urgently seeking content moderators who can work in Chinese, the platform’s default language.
VXI Global Solutions, an American customer service company that has operated in China since the early 2000s, posted job openings on recruiting websites. Zhilian Zhaopin and CHIEF Zhipinspecifying that candidates would “moderate videos from foreign friends’ accounts on Xiaohongshu.” The recruiter even tagged one of the listings “Xiaohongshu urgent recruitment overnight: TikTok refugee moderation, short-term (contracts) accepted.”
Jinhui Rongzhi Technologyan IT services outsourcing company, and transnan AI-powered translation service provider, also posted similar hiring notices this week seeking English-speaking content moderators to work for Xiaohongshu. WIRED contacted all three companies to confirm the validity of the listings. None of them responded in time for publication. Xiaohongshu also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The salary of the jobs ranges from RMB 4,500 to RMB 8,000 per month ($600 to $1,100). Applicants must demonstrate their English language skills and prove that they passed a proficiency exam. A listing noted that the position must be filled within three days and that candidates do not need to apply if they cannot start immediately.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet watchdog, is reportedly already concerned about content shared by foreigners on Xiaohongshu. CAC warned the platform earlier this week to “ensure that users based in China cannot see posts from American users,” according to The information.
Social media platforms in China are legally required to remove a wide range of content, including nudity and graphic violence, but especially information that the government considers politically sensitive. Platforms like Xiaohongshu rely on large teams of contractors managed by outsourcing companies to perform both routine application and response to emergency situations.
“RedNote, like all platforms owned by Chinese companies, is subject to the repressive laws of the Chinese Communist Party,” wrote Allie Funk, director of technology and democracy research at the human rights nonprofit Freedom House, in a email to WIRED. “Independent researchers have documented how keywords deemed sensitive to those in power, such as discussions of labor strikes or criticism of Xi Jinping, can be removed from the platform.”
But the influx of American TikTok users (up to 700,000 in just two days) according to Reuters—could be stretching Xiaohongshu’s content moderation capabilities, says Eric Liu, editor of China Digital Times, a California-based publication that documents censorship in China, who also used to work as a content moderator for the social media platform Chinese Weibo.