fathom - 1:24 pm on Apr 12, 2012 (gmt 0)

Fathom is taking a different line- that who initiates the links influences the action taken against those links.

Actually you don't seem to understand my position at all.

When Google cannot tell who developed the link... they merely discount the links. This assumes if a competitor developed links to you, you would merely lose the value those links offered (since you didn't develop them, no harm, no foul).

When Google can tie the website owner to those links it also discounts your results... and most recently when it does that it notifies you.

I don't presume to know what Google has under the hood... but believing you have been sabotaged by a factious competitor is very unlikely (unless your competitor notifies you with hahaha! then I would say you are probably right)

[edited by: fathom at 1:59 pm (utc) on Apr 12, 2012]