Why tech firms are fighting California's privacy push

States across the country are trying to figure how out to regulate consumer privacy in the digital ad space, but the battlefield to watch is Sacramento (CA). There, lawmakers are vetting a bill today that would require internet service providers like Verizon and Comcast to get permission from customers before sharing their data with marketers.

As the lines between media, tech and telecom companies blur, Internet providers and the web companies that use their pipes have a rare alliance in opposing the bill. They all have a stake in the fight as telecommunications companies buy media companies (think Verizon buying Yahoo and AOL) and web companies are, in some cases, working on their own connectivity initiatives (think Google Fiber). A new privacy law in California would be a threat to ISPs trying to break into the digital advertising market and the start of a slippery slope for the Facebook-Google duopoly.