(Disclosure: I work for Google, speaking only for myself)
The problem is Google has implemented the tracking in such a way that it's hostile to users, preventing them from copying the target link. There are various ways that Google could allow copying the link whole also enabling tracking if it's explicitly clicked, but Google chose an anti-user option because it almost guarantees people click the link.
On browsers that support it (all modern browsers except Firefox) it uses <a href=... ping=...> which is exactly what you're looking for.
I stopped using Hangouts a long time ago because every link that was sent was wrapped in a redirect through Google. Sometimes that tracking service would be slow and I'd have to copy the links manually. Really infuriating.
Anyways, there is a big difference here. If I copy a link from Google I get [1] and if I copy a link from DDG I get [2].
1. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c...
Also, DuckDuckGo has taken keyboard-centric users into account, whereas Google has not. I rarely have to touch my mouse when searching on DDG. Up and down arrows to select the results, enter to go, / to return to the search bar, left and right arrows to go between images and maps and whatnot.
I almost use DDG solely for the UX. The added privacy is just a very nice bonus.
(Tip: you can also type "figlet ______" and it will give you ASCII art for the text you typed. That's neat.)