Black Hat SEO
The use of the term 'Black Hat', in relation to SEO, is rooted in the dim and distant past of the old black-and-white cowboy movies, where typically the 'good guy' of the story (somebody like Hopalong Cassiday) always wore a white hat and the 'bad guy' always wore a black hat. It's that simple - so what we're describing here, when we refer to Black Hat SEO, is 'bad guy' or unethical SEO tactics.
When you consider what a 'young' industry SEO is it's not surprising that there's already 'bad guys' at work in it. But having said that, a lot of the things that are now categorised as 'black hat' were once-upon-a-time OK tactics and, whatsmore, they used to work really well (and in fact many may still work).
What's really changed in the last 10 years is that Google now pretty much runs the show and sets out its own quality parameters based on needs and wants through its all-powerful algorithm. As a result it's a much more mature business (as the billion dollar profits confirm) so, just like in the movies, the lawless day of the cowboy and the 'black hat' gang is officially over. A bit painful for the cowboys to sign-up to the new philosophy of course, and there's still a few outlaws out there 'on-the-dodge' - but it was always on the cards that the 'law' would get to Dodge City before long!
Those who still practice these 'black hat' SEO practices may actually provide short-term gains in terms of search rankings, but if / when the unethical practices are uncovered (and they will be) - your website runs the risk of being penalised by search engines or even black-listed.
It’s just not worth the risk. Here at SEO Brokers we do not use or recommend anything that even remotely looks like Black Hat SEO.