Were DIY 3D Gun Blueprints Really Taken Offline? On Telegram, Not Quite.
- by Anna K & Riki M
On July 31st, just hours before a repository of firearm blueprints were meant to go online, a federal judge issued a temporary nationwide injunction halting their release. U.S. District Court Judge Robert S. Lasnik granted a temporary restraining order on Defense Distributed — the maker of the blueprints — after eight attorney generals and the District of Columbia successfully argued the release of the CAD files would present a “serious threat to national security and to public safety in the State of Washington”.
However, a cursory review of the encrypted instant messaging service Telegram reveals that DIY 3D firearm blueprints remain easily accessible on public channels. One Telegram channel created August 1st, 2018, openly allows a number of blueprints to be easily downloaded. The channel seems to have uploaded blueprints ranging from complete AR-10s to the infamous so-called “Liberator”.
On Telegram, users have the ability to send messages as well as exchange photos, videos, stickers, audio and files of any type. According to Telegram, any Telegram user can send and receive files of any type, up to 1.5 GB in size each, and access them instantly on other devices. Thus any Telegram user can, in essence, exchange any number of 3D firearm blueprints. Furthermore, Telegram channels can be created by any user for broadcasting messages to an unlimited number of subscribers.
The specific Telegram channel found to be posting DIY 3D firearm blueprints happened to have 333 members in the group. However, any Telegram user can download the blueprints without having to join the channel.
A closer look shows that all of the firearm blueprints have over a thousand views each; an indication that the audience of the channel is not limited to the 333 members. On Telegram, users can remain relatively anonymous if they choose to, provided they maintain a random username as opposed to their actual name.
The info page of the Telegram channel reveals a quote “Printable freedom”, which may be a reference to the First Amendment of the United States; grounds on which Defense Distributed initially successfully litigated the State Department for forcing it to take down the blueprints it had uploaded earlier this year. The share link shown allows any Telegram user to find the channel and if desired, immediately start downloading the firearm blueprints.
To determine the veracity of the uploaded files, we examined the contents of “ar10_complete.zip”. The contents were all named after various parts of a firearm with the file extension “.sldprt”. A SLDPRT file is a 3D image format used by SolidWorks CAD software, i.e., the file format for 3D printed objects. From the SLDPRT file, one can easily print out components required for the firearm if they so choose to do so.
A Potential Danger to Public Safety?
The man behind Defense Distributed, Cody Wilson, seeks to make their website a collaborative, searchable weapons database, accessible to anyone with an open Internet connection. Wilson has stated that he has no desire to arm criminals or the mentally ill. However, in an interview with CBS news, Wilson stated that his mission to make 3D gun technology accessible to all stems from a belief that “access to the firearm is a fundamental human dignity.” Wilson firmly defends his stance that he is only responsible for making gun design data available in the public sphere, and is thus blameless for people using his data to physically manufacture guns — or the eventual uses of those printed guns.
However, the fact that the blueprints have now emerged on Telegram may be an indication that the temporary injunction filed earlier this month was too late.
The encrypted messaging app Telegram received previous coverage in 2015, with the discovery that the Islamic State was using Telegram as a platform to network and communicate, coordinate supporters, fundraise, and disseminate official media releases. Despite coverage of this issue, further analysis of how IS employs Telegram, and further reporting of a weapons trafficking market hosted on Telegram, it has been difficult to curtail criminal activity on Telegram. Back in 2015, Founder Pavel Durov announced that 78 IS-related channels had been blocked, however it is impossible to know the full-extent of what criminal or terrorist-related activity remains on Telegram.
However, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, an American company that tracks online activity of white supremacist and jihadist organisations, the Islamic State remains active on Telegram. Since 2013, the Islamic State has released a series of online publications, released regularly on a weekly to monthly basis. Despite their current diminished state, al-Naba is their latest online magazine — issue #143 was released last Friday on 10 August — and the Telegram updates from IS’s Nashir News Agency are still released. Given the ubiquity of modern connectivity, it’s not surprising that IS has retained their online publishing ability despite their territory reductions. However, this indicates a concerning possibility: considering terrorist organisations such as the IS is still active on Telegram, how long until they find the Telegram channel hosting the CAD weapons files?
The ease in which groups with nefarious intent could obtain these blueprints remains troubling. More troubling is the possibility that terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State could disseminate this information to followers and sympathizers around the world, encouraging lone-wolf style attacks. Some advocates for the release of DIY 3D firearm blueprints have pointed out that the most recent terror-related attacks in Europe have involved every day vehicles to ram into pedestrian areas. The process for printing a firearm involves significantly more work, i.e., obtaining a 3D printer which can be a barrier to access.
In the United States where firearms are readily accessible, the impact of the blueprints may be smaller. However, in locations such as Japan or the European Union where gun control is significantly stricter, the impact may be strongly felt.
