A new spam policy for "back button hijacking"
Google is implementing a new spam policy explicitly targeting "back button hijacking," a deceptive practice that prevents users from easily navigating back to previous pages. This move aims to combat the increasing user frustration caused by sites manipulating browser history for unsolicited content or ads. Hacker News users are widely commending the initiative, albeit with skepticism about its effectiveness and calls for broader browser-level solutions to web "encrapification."
The Lowdown
Google is taking a stand against "back button hijacking" by introducing a new spam policy, set to take effect on June 15, 2026. This practice involves websites interfering with browser navigation, specifically the back button, to prevent users from returning to previously visited pages as expected, often redirecting them to unwanted content or ads.
- Definition: Back button hijacking is identified as any site interference that prevents a user from using their back button to immediately get back to the page they came from, often leading to unexpected pages or unsolicited content.
- Rationale: Google emphasizes that this policy is driven by a commitment to user experience, as the practice breaks fundamental browser functionality, causes significant user frustration, and erodes trust in unfamiliar sites.
- Policy Enforcement: This manipulative tactic is now an explicit violation of Google's "malicious practices" spam policy, which targets deceptive and negative user experiences.
- Consequences: Websites found to be engaging in back button hijacking may face manual spam actions or automated demotions in Google Search results, impacting their visibility.
- Site Owner Guidance: Google advises site owners to thoroughly review their technical implementations, including third-party libraries and advertising platforms, to identify and remove any scripts or configurations that contribute to this behavior.
This new policy underscores Google's ongoing efforts to maintain a helpful and non-deceptive web environment, providing site owners a two-month period to comply before enforcement begins.
The Gossip
Web Encrapification Woes
Users express a collective sigh of relief that Google is addressing back button hijacking, but quickly broaden their frustration to the general decline of web user experience. They cite a litany of annoyances like intrusive cookie banners, unwanted surveys, distracting ads, and "Got it!" popups, suggesting this is just one piece of a much larger problem of "web encrapification."
Browser or Banhammer?
Commenters debate whether Google, as the developer of Chrome, should implement technical fixes within the browser to prevent back button hijacking and similar abuses, rather than policing sites through search ranking penalties. Some argue that browser-level prevention is a more robust solution, while others acknowledge that Google uses its search dominance as leverage for a cleaner web.
JavaScript's Jekyll and Hyde
The discussion touches upon the role of JavaScript in enabling both innovative web experiences and user-hostile practices. Some reminisce about a "fine" web of static HTML, implying JavaScript is the root of many modern web woes, while others counter that such a return would sacrifice significant functionality and progress achieved through modern web technologies.
Hijacked Histories & Hardened Helpers
Commenters share anecdotal evidence of specific websites and applications (e.g., Microsoft sites, Reddit, Azure portal, Epic Store) that exhibit back button hijacking or similarly frustrating navigation issues. Practical solutions, such as using `uBlockOrigin` to block JavaScript and avoid intrusive elements, are also highlighted as effective user-side defenses against web annoyances.