New to Bambu Labs, Are you worried about security?

Bambu Lab X1 Series General discussions
1

Hi all

Just received my X1 carbon and loving it. Probably like most, I accepted terms and agreements, as I already purchased the device.

However, how concerned are you about privacy and being tied to an overseas company?

https://bambulab.com/en/policies/privacy

In the privacy terms I found:

Erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)

  • Right：You may request us to erase certain of your personal data.or example, you can ask us to erase the personal data:

and then Bambu states

In certain situations, Bambu Lab is unable to delete your personal data in responding to your requests, including:

  • when such personal data is still necessary to be processed to achieve the purpose we collected it for;
  • Bambu Lab’s interest in using the data overrides your interest in having it deleted (e.g., when we need to process the personal data to protect our services from fraud); [notice this is only an example:

So basically you are at Bambu Labs whims when it comes to your data. And, since Bambu shares data outside US to its parent company in China, there is no chance of forcing compliance.

Wondering just why Bambu forces us to login into their servers when we only really need to set up the printer, run the software and printer on our LAN? Can’t we have the option to use the cloud AFTER we have the printer fully setup and ready to go?

And what if Bambu one day shut down servers, are we screwed? Is there more to it than company thinking it knows what is best for its customers?

Are these issue solved? Should I really not be worried what might happen?

1 Like
2

What kind of data are you sending them that would be of concern?

3

There appears to be no limit to data sharing. Basically, your name, address, ip address, email address, and all data collected in your account (maybe credit card) all things printed, orders, your active connections, etc. Seems innocent until a data breach or bad actors…

4

Id only be worried if I was running a printing business that sold my own designs. Or a large company using the printer to make prototype parts.

5

im not, im more worried about my own country then a foreign one, Yet to have a issue with anything relating to china but been a victim of data breach twice by home soil companies not protecting it properly

1 Like
6

This is the stuff i worry about.

My State!

1 Like
7

Collecting this kind of data is the standard for making purchases online. Are you suggesting Bambu Lab should delete all traces of this kind of data at your request? If so, that seems unreasonable since they’d have no way to verify you made purchases from them at that point.

This one is in your court. There are ways to print without sending files to Bambu Lab.

8

Trying to think about what Bambu knows and might disclose…

Nothing that isn’t either public information or useless.

Name, address, email address, maybe phone number.

That is all essential data held by anyone I’ve ever done business with over the internet, and most of the businesses I’ve purchased from locally.

Everything I’ve purchased in the past three years has been paid for with a credit card, and if a business has that, they also have access to my name address, phone number, (probably email), and most of my credit history.

The virtual credit card number I’ve used for Bambu purchases is actually safer than the actual card, as the number is unique to Bambu. If it gets out to the public I’ll know how it got there and the credit card company will correct any fraudulent charges, as they have done for purchases in my country.

I’ve no reason think there is more risk of Bambu selling or providing any info than there is with any other company I have ever done business with.

Do I care if some government bureaucrat in China (or anywhere) finds out that I printed a image? No, though there may be some amusement value in knowing that they wasted a bit of their life trying to figure out what it is, or what nefarious purpose I had in creating it. They are welcome to watch it print, too!

I can, and have, used LAN-only mode, and also sneaker-netted a print without any wi-fi connection. So the printer is still usable without internet or LAN. Security minded users can have all the privacy they want. (remember to delete the files on the SD card before reconnecting to the internet!) The next version of Studio is supposed to add LAN-only video monitoring capability. So if the cloud evaporates, I will not care at all.

9

@Barryg41 @printingnewbie1 Probably breached by china or russia. The uk likes to scam/hack aswell. We get it though, you hate murica.

To the others, it is standard prictice to collect and save some data. The difference is in what that company can then do with that data. Read the fine print.

10

ME! Dont hate America! I’ve been around the world its best here. :smiley::raised_hands::us_outlying_islands:

1 Like
11

I would be more worried about Apple / Google / META hoovering up your data, Bambu seems to be the same as most connected systems.

1 Like
12

This is the same thread you get with any cloud connected product. If you are worried about China seeing how many ghost guns you print, you probably shouldn’t be (and aren’t) using this product or doing anything at all without an air gap between you and any and all networks (writing stuff onto SD cards and hand-carrying them to the machine works just fine).

If, on the other hand, you’re just doing what 99.9% of the rest of the community is doing then have fun, don’t worry about it. Make every 3rd print a dickbutt just to mess with China’s heads. “What is he doing? Why are they all printing this? WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!” etc.

1 Like
13

I love that so many white knights hop in every time somebody has a complaint. “My experience was good so your experience doesnt matter”. So stupid.

1 Like
14

I’d suspect that some information needs to be retained in case a transaction is discovered to be fraudulent. E.g. If a credit card was used without the owners concent and the user requested that all their contact details be deleted immediately on receipt of the goods this could prevent the case from being investigated properly.

Just my 2c.

M.

15

I’ve just read back through the thread. I don’t see any mention of an actual bad security experience with Bambu, or anyone’s experience being denied.

You can’t do business with any company over the internet without providing some information. If you don’t trust them, or find their data use policies (which are available before you make a purchase) objectionable, don’t do business with them.

If you don’t like printing through the Bambu cloud, don’t use it. It will be less convenient, but maintaining security always requires more effort.

It’s entirely your choice. Worrying about theoretical misuse of your data will accomplish nothing.

4 Likes
16

My real name, for one. My real email address for another (I created one on protonmail just for the account.) Right there in the terms of service, they crossref every social media account you have, obstensibly to find things to sell me. Totally no. I already containerize Facebook in my browser just because of this stupid ■■■■.

If my data has value to a company, it’s worth cash money. Not interested in any of the other “rewards” I’m supposed to get for giving keys to the kingdom. Literally every “capability” being pushed by using the cloud can be accomplished where all of my data is encrypted. Like Apple who can’t access customer data even if ordered to.

Here’s a huge example: Make Handy work on the local network. I can get into my local network at any time with OpenVPN because all routers have that now. I want to monitor my jobs on my phone without the cloud.

Best Regards,
User {random number}

17

If you were worried about giving that information away, then you probably shouldn’t have purchased anything from Bambu Labs (or any other company on the Internet).

Try googling your home address and/or real name. And be prepared to be totally horrified.

18

I already won this battle:

  1. Go on protonmail to get an email address for this purpose.

  2. Using the multi account containers in firefox, create a container and associate “bambulab” and “makerworld” websites to the container. This will prevent Bambu from accessing your Facebook, Instagram, Tic-Toc, etc. cookies to associate you with the random account.

  3. Create a bambu account. Retain the random username because the terms of service says they use your name to cross ref social media accounts.

  4. In the bambu account go into the settings and turn off everything to do with storing your stuff on other people’s computers. Also turn off the lists of the stuff you print. Now your account is ready to connect to your printer.

  5. Bind your computer to this account.

  6. Set LAN only.

  7. Use Bambu Studio on your laptop because Handy is useless now for no reason.

  8. It’s super easy to set up OpenVPN on almost any new router, so you can control your printer from your laptop anywhere. Just not from your phone.

19

Another complaint: Even in LAN only mode, if you block the printer from the internet at the router, it doesn’t work. “LAN only” mode is a lie. If you want the printer to work without internet access, it’s SDcard only.

21

Your router provides many services to your internal network that aren’t internet access. You’ve incorrectly blocked it from providing those services to your printer, so of course nothing can see it. It has nothing to do with the printer requiring internet.

1 Like