In the competitive world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), monitoring your competitors is standard practice. However, there is a fine, distinct line between data-driven competitor research and becoming a professional .

Using trackers on your own links (e.g., for a resume or portfolio) is fine. Using them to monitor another person without consent? That’s digital stalking – and in some regions, a criminal offense.

Building genuine partnerships with industry publishers [0.5.1]. How to Build a Stalker-Proof Backlink Profile

They use free tracking tools to spy on you. Creepy, right?

The glow of the smartphone was the only thing illuminating bedroom. It was 2:00 AM, the hour when curiosity usually shifts into something more clinical. She was a "link stalker"—not the kind who follows people home, but the kind who follows the breadcrumbs of a digital existence.