Slashdot is reporting today that 27 Central Banks form the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group which was behind the alteration to Photoshop CS which prevents you from working on images on banknotes. The Irish Central Bank is a member of this organisation, and it is at least alleged that the EU is looking to bring in controls similar to this under a Directive. While it appears that initially the directive would be targetted at Hardware such as Scanners and Printers, it is another step towards EU mandated limitations on what computers can do. Will in criminalise Lego Mindstorms becuase you could use it to build a scanner? Would it criminalise SANE because it makes it easier for you to build your own scanner? I think someone with a better stomach for trying to piece together the sort of rubbish document they have put out needs to examine it more closely and summarise it to see if we have anything to start getting worried about. I think on principle I object to the idea though I wouldn’t want ILUG to be seen as defending Counterfeiters!