The 52-46 vote to end debate was largely on party lines, with most Republicans opposed and most Democrats in favor of the measure. Despite the frustration of supporters, privacy advocates were pleased, especially since .

Rainey Reitman, activism director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), said the group had sought revisions to "put some real privacy protections in place. And there is definitely the fear that if Congress takes up another bill in the future, it might not have them. That is very worrisome.

"There are serious privacy problems that haven't been resolved," she said, pointing to Section 701. That part of the bill, she said, "gives companies new affirmative authority to engage in 'countermeasures,' like dropping packets or monitoring our personal communications if they do so for cybersecurity purposes."

EFF was concerned enough about the eavesdropping that it called "Stop Cyber Spying."