Google changes how the Escape key is handled in Chrome to fight popup ads
Summary
The general idea is that starting with Chrome 76, pressing the Escape key on your keyboard will not "activate" a page and prevent it from running JavaScript code -- like it did until now. For example, clicking on a link or typing in a textbox does, but swiping fingers on a screen or hovering with the mouse cursor doesnt. In the previous months, Google has rolled out similar security-minded features to protect Chrome users from spammers and malicious advertisers. For example, in Chrome v73, Google added a security feature that would prevent malicious code loaded in iframes from initiating a download on a users device. The company also fixed an "evil cursor" bug abused by tech support scammers and banned extensions using obfuscated code from the Chrome Web Store.