[uoaei]

Ok, sure. You want more words to say the same thing, here you are.

It got vociferous support from the highest levels of government even though the deception ("protect kids!") was so blatant and transparent, and it wasn't until a legion of privacy and in particular tech-literate advocates raised concerns in mass media together with an awareness campaign about the dangers of unchecked surveillance structures that it was finally... shot down.

[borski]

I think the parent comment’s point was that unless it is made illegal, as in, a law is passed to make it so, it will come up again, and the “fight” has a shorter lifespan than the government.

We have seen the same, or substantially similar, bills come up over and over. Most of the time, they are shot down, in the same manner you describe.

But sometimes, there is a 9/11 and the Patriot act gets passed.