Already, 10 local authorities have voted to adopt "nil" policies, refusing permission for any new venues.

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The project provoked controversy with 3D printing firm MakerBot pulling gun part blueprints from its website in the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings and 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys refusing permission for its machines to be used by the company.

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More worrying, from the scientists' point of view, is that new areas of bioscience may become classified, that the government is considering reviewing work prior to publication (with an option on refusing permission to publish) and that it might insist that the methods sections of some research papers are removed.

ECONOMIST: Academic freedom