The majority of SEOs believe Google's Penguin update is about links and it is a link based algorithm.
Google has never fully confirmed it is a primarily link based algorithm but maybe that has changed?
Google's Matt Cutts responded to a question on Twitter saying:

http://www.seroundtable.com/google-p...nks-15590.html

I am leaning towards thinking MC and Google are playing games. The sites that I have seen that tanked after Penguin had very nice natural backlink profiles, but over optimized onsite. With some of that cleaned up, I've seen sites come back, after Penguin.

But... some say it's primarily about links.. as Matt Cutts seems to be suggesting as reported here.

Seems to be continuing disagreement about it...

Cool. Time to xRumer some competitors. Then they too can enjoy the roller coaster ride in the SERPS and love letters from Google in their Webmaster Tools account too.

I mean it is surely a shame to let such capable software sit idle on so many VPS boxes.

I am not so sure it's about back links myself though. If it is, how does Google account for all the so called "dodgy links" that some sites created, knowing that many sites have awstats and other stats packages wide open and are being indexed..so if they create a link to such sites, then autoclick the links they have made, it meant that they created backlinks from older, higher quality sites to theirs in the referrals sections of the stats packages.

I have seen that sort of thing, time and time again, over the years - and the only reason that I could ever see, was to get get backlinks, even if they were from the stats directories of other sites. A link is a link is a link right? At least up until recently.

And I'm supposed to be worried or beg the webmasters of such dodgy sites to remove their links to my sites, or Google may penalize me?

If that is the case... it's asinine.