Lemon8 fake brand accounts emerge as TikTok sibling app grows in popularity

A TikTok video has caused a run on brand account names on Lemon8, a photo-sharing app by ByteDance (which also owns TikTok), that has soared in popularity in recent days. TikTok user @queef.com made a video about how she claimed the Lemon8 handles for Juul, Chick-fil-A, Mark Zuckerberg and POTUS, in an effort to monetize these handles when brands and popular figures look to join the platform. @queef.com YALLLLLL LMAO #lemon8 #new #markzuckerberg #chickfila #username ♬ original sound - mash Meta, McDonald’s, Red Bull, Chili’s, P.F. Chang’s, Duolingo, Domino's, Kate Spade New York, 7-Eleven, ESPN, Craigslist, Home Depot, and even the U.S. Congress, have also seen handles associated with their names snapped up by Lemon8 users as interest builds around the app in the wake of a potential U.S. ban of TikTok. Lemon8 currently does not appear to have a verification system. Most of the brands mentioned did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication. McDonald’s, State Farm and Chili's confirmed that their Lemon8 profiles are not official accounts. Some of those who have taken Lemon8 brand handles have labeled them as not official affiliates, or parody accounts, including those for ESPN and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. Lemon8, which launched worldwide in March 2020, according to Sensor Tower, is focused on photos, with a layout similar to Pinterest. Users can post about topics such as food, fashion, beauty and travel. There are currently no ads and few official brand accounts. Downloads of the app have surged in the U.S. recently and the app is being pitched to creators. (It was not immediately clear exactly how many users Lemon8 has, though the New York Times reported that Lemon8 reached five million monthly active users worldwide last year.) Lemon8’s rise comes as TikTok is still facing political scrutiny while lawmakers deliberate on banning the app in the U.S. due to ByteDance's Chinese roots and concerns over the security of users' data. TikTok says it has 150 million U.S. users. It's too early to know how brands might tap into the quickly growing Lemon8 user base. While it may not have ads yet, that may not stop real brands from joining the platform. Such was the case with Instagram rival BeReal, where brands offered discount codes to their followers as a way to track the app’s influence.

Lemon8 fake brand accounts emerge as TikTok sibling app grows in popularity

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