We can still stop California's 3D printer surveillance scheme
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
EFF warns California's AB 2047 mandates surveillance software on 3D printers despite technical infeasibility.
California Assembly passed AB 2047 requiring 3D printers to block firearm prints via surveillance software. Amendments removed criminal resale penalties and added open source carveouts, but EFF argues the technology cannot work as intended and will censor lawful speech, enable corporate surveillance, and harm open source experimentation. The bill now requires only 'substantially reducing' circumvention rather than preventing it, and includes a commercial carveout for Hollywood that excludes indie creators. EFF urges opposition as the bill heads to the state senate.
What commenters are saying
Commenters are sharply critical, calling the law detached from reality and a coordinated attack on computing. Several note the article's image of California on a printer bed resembles an AR-15 pistol grip, predicting false positives and protest art. One commenter shares a form letter from Rep. Scalise indicating mass emails are ignored, prompting others to suggest LLM-customized letters. A debate emerges: some argue the undesirable action (shooting people) is already banned, while others point to DEFCAD's First Amendment victory as forcing this surveillance approach.