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The back button on your browser is supposed to be an exit ramp, but some sites are abusing a tactic to trap users on their domains and manipulate traffic, according to Google.
The tactic is called "Back button hijacking," which can throw a wrench in the Chrome browser’s ability to back out of a domain. “It occurs when a site interferes with a user's browser navigation and prevents them from using their back button to immediately get back to the page they came from,” Google explained in a developer’s blog post. “Instead, users might be sent to pages they never visited before, be presented with unsolicited recommendations or ads, or are otherwise just prevented from normally browsing the web.”
Back-button hijacking has been around for years, and usually works by inserting new pages in the browser history or using JavaScript in the background to manipulate the redirects. Not every back-button override is malicious. For example, a site can use this to let you close a pop-up or a side menu without accidentally exiting the entire site.
But now Google says, “We've seen a rise of this type of behavior, which is why we're designating this an explicit violation of our malicious practices policy.” Specifically, the company has classified the technique as a form of browser hijacking.
In response, the company has given website operators until June 15, 2026, to ensure their domains are free of back-button hijacking. If not, Google will downrank or even remove offending sites from its search engine.
“We encourage site owners to thoroughly review their technical implementation and remove or disable any code, imports, or any configurations that are responsible for back-button hijacking, to ensure a helpful and non-deceptive experience for users,” the company says.
The blog post also suggests that back-button hijacking might be on the rise, as more third-party advertisers are exploiting the technique. “Notably, some instances of back-button hijacking may originate from the site's included libraries or advertising platform,” the company says.
In the meantime, if you encounter a site that uses back-button hijacking, a quick double-tap of the back button can help you jump out of the loop. A long press of the back button can also let you navigate to previous sites.