IP: LOCKED IN AND CAN'T GO BACK : Edupage, May 30, 2001

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> "Mouse-trapping," or using Web coding to disable users' back
> buttons, is becoming commonplace even among well-established
> sites. Home Depot, Amtrak, and Internet cable service Road
> Runner have been noted recently for using programming to keep
> visitors on their sites for a longer period of time. Although
> representatives of these companies say they use the tactics to
> keep people from accidentally leaving the site, or leaving in
> confusion when confronted with new features such as Flash-based
> animation, usability and Web practice experts are highly critical
> of the practice--which they say artificially boosts the traffic
> on a site, thus deceiving advertisers--and is annoying to boot.
> (USA Today, 29 May 2001)



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