Cyber Ethics

Cyber Ethics in the Model Horse World: Why It Matters

Did you know that federal law protects us from certain kinds of online abuse—even in our small but passionate hobby?

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) makes it illegal to:

• Access someone’s website, files, or accounts without authorization

• Use bots or automated programs to scrape, copy, or download content or photos

• Try to damage, disable, or overwhelm a website (for example, with mass downloads or fake traffic)

This applies even in niche communities like ours. If you're using someone else's digital space—whether that's a website, storefront, or even private content—you need permission.

The CFAA has been used in many civil and criminal cases to protect digital property, and yes—it can apply to hobbyists, artists, and small business owners too.

(Analytics are wild—it's like watching someone try to sneak out of BreyerFest with every model under their coat. We see you, refresh-happy gate-crasher)

Let’s keep the model horse world respectful, both in real life and online. Always ask permission. Don’t take what’s not yours. And remember: just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s free to use.