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

Google announced it has observed a rise in "back button hijacking," where websites manipulate browser history to prevent users from navigating away. This can lead to users feeling manipulated and less willing to visit unfamiliar sites, according to Google. The tech giant, which operates the Chrome browser, stated that this behavior breaks the expected user journey and causes significant frustration.

From June 15, any site found using techniques to insert manipulative pages into a user's browser history will be penalized. Site owners who wish to avoid these penalties are advised to thoroughly review their technical implementation to ensure they do not interfere with a user's ability to navigate their browser history. Sites that are penalized but subsequently fix the issue can submit a request for reconsideration to Google.