Google to punish sites that trap people in with back button tricks

Google to Implement Penalties for Websites Using Back Button Hijacking

Starting on 15 June, Google will enforce new policies to penalize websites that use “back button hijacking” to keep users trapped. This tactic involves altering a browser’s behavior so the back button no longer takes users to the previous page, often leaving them on the site or redirecting them to unsolicited ads. The tech company behind Chrome highlighted a surge in this behavior as the reason for its intervention.

Google’s blog post emphasized that back button hijacking disrupts the user experience by interfering with browser functionality. Sites engaging in this practice will be labeled as “malicious” and could see their rankings drop or be removed from search results. The move is intended to address the growing prevalence of such techniques, which the search engine claims lead to user frustration and a sense of being manipulated.

“Back button hijacking interferes with the browser’s functionality, breaks the expected user journey, and results in user frustration,” Google said. “People report feeling manipulated and eventually less willing to visit unfamiliar sites.”

Examples of practices under scrutiny include methods that insert misleading or manipulative pages into a user’s browser history, preventing them from navigating back. Adam Thompson, director of digital at BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, told the BBC: “Practices like back button hijacking undermine the basic user experience and break the expectations people have of how the web should work, so it’s understandable that Google views this as a harmful behaviour and [is] taking action.”

Google urged site owners to avoid techniques that interfere with a user’s ability to navigate their browser history. It recommended thorough reviews of technical implementations to ensure compliance. Sites penalized under the new guidelines may submit a request for reconsideration if they resolve the issue.

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