So even what you said is not like the grand-parent's proposal that removes the functionality totally.
Such as Google, Facebook, etc.
My favorite part is the consistency of Youtube's URLs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ycombinator
href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fycombinator.com%2F&ei=OtmqU9TnN9KNqAbhwYDoAw&usg=AFQjCNFz8v92zbzOCTKbQaynlEeOQbu1NA&sig2=loQ5iO_OGgdXSsdzQ5jqxw"
So when you release the mouse button and the contextual menu gets displayed, it already has the new link with tracking included.
This is pure evilness by your favorite don't-do-evil company.
So even what you said is not like the grand-parent's proposal that removes the functionality totally.