The amendment to the bill passed following the Sept. 11, terror attacks would have allowed the FBI to collect electronic information of Americans without a court order, including Internet browsing history, IP addresses and emails.
The sponsors of the measure argued that it would contribute to the surveillance of potential “lone wolf” attackers.
The vote was taken in the wake of a massacre in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman allegedly inspired by Daesh, killed 49 victims at a gay nightclub earlier this month.
“It is disappointing that my colleagues in the Senate voted down our amendment to give law enforcement a counterterrorism authority that the FBI considers its number one priority,” McCain said in a statement following the vote.
Many civil society groups and technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo opposed the proposal.
“The Senate should not respond to the massacre in Orlando by voting to gut Americans’ privacy protections and expand provisions of the Patriot Act that have consistently been abused by the government,” American Civil Liberties Union national political director Karin Johanson said in a statement.
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