This year the state of New York had the dubious honor of being the first to pass a controversial provision to mandate all 3D printers come with surveillance and censorship. That means not only is there a ticking clock to protect every artist, researcher, engineer, and hobbyist in the state, but there is a real risk of other states thoughtlessly following suit—prior to the New York rules even taking effect.
We, along with many
other experts
,
already warned about this bill
buried in the state’s crowded budget process. Hundreds of our supporters and 3D printing enthusiasts in New York reached out to their representatives hoping to kill this farcical bill. While there were some welcome amendments in response to the outcry, Albany passed it anyway.
It might be well-intentioned, but bills like these sell a fantasy that can only have an untold negative impact on the privacy, free expression, and consumer rights of anyone using these general purpose devices. Behind the banner of reducing gun violence, which is nearly always committed with commercial firearms, New York lawmakers have passed draconian legislation that will let manufacturers lock in users and collect their data.
Now that the bill has passed and been signed by Governor Hochul, let’s look at two important ways
the final legislation
changed
since we last wrote about it
, and why states like
California shouldn’t make the same mistake
.
Reduced Risk for Lawful File Sharing
The New York bill includes language that criminalizes access to firearm print files, a proposal correctly dropped by
states like Colorado
due to First Amendment concerns. While this made it through to the passed legislation, a few wins were still gained.
Originally the legislation threatened felony charges for the storing and sharing of files, potentially impacting researchers, artists, and journalists with no intention of printing a firearm component. These charges were downgraded to a Class A misdemeanor.
Two provisions
… [more]
