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Did TikTok tell you to buy luxury goods straight from China? Experts say proceed with caution
The U.S. indeed has a 245 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, but not in the way you might think. Andrew Chang explains how this figure got so high and which imports are getting hit. Then, is Trump’s approach to tariffs calculated or not?
Think you’ve found a great deal on TikTok to buy luxury clothing brands directly from the factory? Experts say you might want to think again about how real the claims in that video are.
In recent days, social media users claiming to have an inside scoop on how and where luxury brands are really made have begun popping up online, especially on TikTok.
In the videos, users claim to be Chinese manufacturers, or say they have friends in high positions at factories that make luxury goods. They go on to say that various luxury clothing brands make their products in China, and claim the items are made for much less than they’re sold for.
Some of the videos also offer links or website names that they say users can go to in order to purchase versions of their favourite products of the same quality but for a fraction of the price.
Inga Trauthig, a research professor studying cybersecurity at Florida State University, says many of the videos repeat specific messages — like the claim that China has the best supply chains —and this raises red flags.
TikTok did not respond to CBC News’s request for comment by deadline regarding the nature of the posts on its platform. TikTok has rules against selling counterfeits and says that it prohibits false or misleading content.
Read more of this week’s story by CBC’s Abby Hughes.
RFK Jr. calls artificial food dyes ‘poisonous.’ Here’s how they’re regulated in Canada
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants to phase out some food dyes.
While some of that effort predated the second Trump administration — like banning red dye No. 3 from foods in January — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday a list of eight artificial dyes to be eliminated from food and medications by the end of 2026.
Kennedy, who has long criticized artificial food dyes, called them “poisonous compounds.”
Some of his views, including on vaccines and autism, promote ideas that have been widely debunked and criticized as harmful.
At the Tuesday announcement, Kennedy and FDA commissioner Marty Makary said there’s a possible link between consumption of the dyes and health conditions like ADHD, obesity and diabetes.
But they did not specify which studies they were referring to — and it’s an area many scientists say requires more robust research.
“The information out there is just so minuscule in the scheme of science that it’s really hard to make those generalizations,” said Emily Acri, a clinical dietitian at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Some studies have linked food dyes with hyperactivity, like a 2007 placebo-control study of fewer than 300 children published in The Lancet, a peer reviewed journal. But there’s no conclusive evidence proving the dyes cause ADHD — even though scientists have been looking into the potential association for over three decades.
Read more of CBC’s Jennifer Yoon and Amina Zafar’s fact check here.
Air Canada ordered to pay passengers $10M in damages after class action over ticket prices
The Quebec Court of Appeal is ordering Air Canada to pay passengers more than $10 million in damages in a class-action lawsuit that alleged they were charged higher amounts than the ticket price advertised.
In a ruling Tuesday, Justice Judith Harvie wrote that Air Canada showed “ignorance and laxity” when the airline concluded it was exempt from a provision of the provincial Consumer Protection Act.
The decision overturns a lower court decision that found Air Canada had breached the law but that no harm resulted, eliminating the need for punitive damages.
The 15-year-old case was brought forward by a consumer advocacy group and a Montreal resident who said he was charged $124 more in taxes, fees and surcharges than the fare price listed during the first step of the ticket-buying process on Air Canada’s website.
In their initial claim, the plaintiffs argued that the airline undermined customers’ ability to make informed choices and must reimburse sums that were charged above the advertised price.
The appeal court ruling comes amid a debate about whether growing airline fees and fare classes amount to so-called junk fees or offer greater choice for travellers. Air Canada did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
What else is going on?
Hudson’s Bay to sell off all merchandise at 6 stores previously spared from liquidation
Court filing says sell-off to begin Friday, effectively ending the retail empire’s reign.
Could your microphone be affecting your job prospects?
New study finds tinny, hollow audio reflects badly on speaker.
How can we rebuild the Canadian economy? Business leaders say there are 4 priorities
A generational opportunity to strengthen Canada’s economy, industry says.
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