martinibuster - 9:53 pm on Sep 16, 2012 (gmt 0)

They're not exactly 'paid links'...

Then you should not call them paid links. ;) It confuses the discussion to name-call. Just call it what it is and let's discuss what is actually happening.

The use of the word "ethical"
Also, you are misusing the word Ethical. Ethical is a word that is commonly used by some who sell link analysis tools and other services. They use the word Ethical for marketing reasons. Ethics concerns issues of morality, right and wrong. Google's guidelines are rules Google wants webmasters to follow in order to remain in Google's index and to make it easier for Google to return quality search results. Obeying what Google wants you to do and morality are two different things.

Instead of ethics, what you mean is that you believe the competitor's consultant is using a tactic that may violate Google's webmaster guidelines.

Let's take a look at the facts
A competitor has hired someone to build links for them. The consultant, with or without the competitors knowledge, is placing content (and links) on wiki style websites.

Questions:
Are these links dofollow?

Are these links under the control of the link builder?

Do these wiki sites appear to be under the control of a single owner?