Hasta La Creative!

A trade group representing several large Internet companies sent a letter detailing “strong opposition” to a New York state bill that would limit the companies’ ability to collect information for targeted advertising.

“[The bill] is unnecessary, most likely unconstitutional, and would have profound implications for the future of Internet advertising and the availability of free content on the Internet,” wrote Jim Halpert, general counsel for the industry group, in a letter to Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, the Westchester County Democrat sponsoring the bill.

Mr. Brodsky dismissed the letter. “These guys want the unadulterated right to invade the privacy of the citizens of this state and we’re not going to let them do that,” he said. “This is why we have governments, not just corporations.”

By “these guys” Brodsky means yahoo, Google, AOL, Comcast, eBay, Electronic Data Systems, Facebook, Monster Worldwide and Reed Elsevier NV.

[via The Wall Street Journal]