Swiss customs recently confiscated 66 pounds of comics that were shipped home by a fan returning from Comiket, the massive Japanese dōjinshi convention. According to Melonpan, the self-described otaku whose comics were held, customs seized the comics because of how young…
Tag: customs
ACLU & EFF Challenge Warrantless Border Searches of Electronic Devices
In response to a skyrocketing rate of warrantless searches of travelers’ smartphones and other electronic devices at U.S. border crossings, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation this week filed a lawsuit challenging the practice as unconstitutional.…
Protect Yourself When Traveling With Manga
If there’s one thing we know about North American Customs officials, it’s that they are not, by and large, aficionados of manga. Art that’s fairly commonplace in Japan can easily be labeled as child porn at U.S. and Canadian ports…
Supreme Court Says No to Warrantless Cellphone Searches by Police
As you may have heard, this week the Supreme Court unanimously decided that police must obtain a warrant to search the cellphone of someone they arrest. What does this mean for comics fans and professionals? We’re glad you asked! First,…
NY District Court Upholds Government’s Right to Search Laptops at the Border
In 2010, a graduate student named Pascal Abidor was traveling from Canada to New York when he was removed from his train and detained by American border agents. In addition to being handcuffed and questioned, his laptop was also seized.…