We Can Still Stop California's 3D Printer Surveillance Scheme

California's state assembly has passed legislation (AB 2047) requiring surveillance software on 3D printers to prevent unlicensed firearm manufacturing, despite concerns from the Electronic Frontier Foundation that the mandate is ineffective, censors lawful speech, and expands corporate surveillance. Recent amendments have removed criminalization of resale and added limited carveouts for open source tools and commercial entertainment users, but critics argue these changes don't address core problems—the technology cannot reliably distinguish between lawful and unlawful printing, and the bill will burden open source developers and small creators while exempting large corporations. The EFF is calling on state senators to reject the bill as it moves forward in the legislative process.