An article hijack occurs when an existing page is changed from one subject to another, as in the following examples:

Hijacking articles in this way is never helpful. Not only does it cause loss of the original article, but even when that original article has no worthwhile content, combining content of two completely different articles into the history of one page causes confusion. Article hijacking is most commonly done by new editors. A much better way of dealing with that restriction is to start new articles in the draft namespace, or go through WP:AfC. Of course, it is also sometimes done by spammers and undisclosed paid editors who are deliberately trying to circumvent these processes.

While it is most common with articles, this can also occur with redirects. If you follow a redirect and end up at an entirely unexpected target, checking the history is always prudent. In obvious cases, a bold correction is the most efficient solution.

Warning template

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The warning template {{subst:uw-hijacking}} exists for warning editors who hijack articles/dab pages/redirects.

See also

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