I'm pretty sure the stated intent of the redirect is to prevent phishing (that is, provide an opportunity for Google to warn users about visiting a known dodgy site). The ability to track is just an added bonus!
Microsoft does this too with Teams. Links that my colleagues and I share with one another to _internal company sites_ get link checked then redirected. Microsoft must have a treasure trove of data about external company employee browsing habits as a result.
I would have infinitely more respect for companies that are upfront about their intentions, no matter how nefarious: "we're doing this to help protect you from phishing. But also, 99% of links are probably not phishing. So this feature really enables us to collect data to track what you do, and perform analytics to improve our bottom line".
Microsoft does this too with Teams. Links that my colleagues and I share with one another to _internal company sites_ get link checked then redirected. Microsoft must have a treasure trove of data about external company employee browsing habits as a result.
I would have infinitely more respect for companies that are upfront about their intentions, no matter how nefarious: "we're doing this to help protect you from phishing. But also, 99% of links are probably not phishing. So this feature really enables us to collect data to track what you do, and perform analytics to improve our bottom line".
Why sugar-coat it?