diff --git a/internal/session/session_test.go b/internal/session/session_test.go
index b6aa5b5eeded361712cf3982b601ae726641081a..08bc9f88b397c0d48abb27b3b203fedc3aa25c9d 100644
--- a/internal/session/session_test.go
+++ b/internal/session/session_test.go
@@ -94,12 +94,11 @@ func (fpt *fakePeerTagger) Unprotect(p peer.ID, tag string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-func (fpt *fakePeerTagger) isProtected(p peer.ID, tag string) bool {
+func (fpt *fakePeerTagger) isProtected(p peer.ID) bool {
 	fpt.lk.Lock()
 	defer fpt.lk.Unlock()
 
-	_, ok := fpt.protectedPeers[p][tag]
-	return ok
+	return len(fpt.protectedPeers[p]) > 0
 }
 
 type fakeProviderFinder struct {
diff --git a/internal/session/sessionwantsender_test.go b/internal/session/sessionwantsender_test.go
index 08c465bf71e89a6d076b556cd06e0b158b5d1d15..806112f55f0d09619a064c951dcc1179d4ccda49 100644
--- a/internal/session/sessionwantsender_test.go
+++ b/internal/session/sessionwantsender_test.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package session
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -383,7 +382,6 @@ func TestProtectConnFirstPeerToSendWantedBlock(t *testing.T) {
 	peerB := peers[1]
 	peerC := peers[2]
 	sid := uint64(1)
-	sidStr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", sid)
 	pm := newMockPeerManager()
 	fpt := newFakePeerTagger()
 	fpm := bsspm.New(1, fpt)
@@ -406,7 +404,7 @@ func TestProtectConnFirstPeerToSendWantedBlock(t *testing.T) {
 	time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
 
 	// Expect peer A to be protected as it was first to send the block
-	if !fpt.isProtected(peerA, sidStr) {
+	if !fpt.isProtected(peerA) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected first peer to send block to have protected connection")
 	}
 
@@ -417,7 +415,7 @@ func TestProtectConnFirstPeerToSendWantedBlock(t *testing.T) {
 	time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
 
 	// Expect peer B not to be protected as it was not first to send the block
-	if fpt.isProtected(peerB, sidStr) {
+	if fpt.isProtected(peerB) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer not to be protected")
 	}
 
@@ -428,7 +426,7 @@ func TestProtectConnFirstPeerToSendWantedBlock(t *testing.T) {
 	time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
 
 	// Expect peer C not to be protected as we didn't want the block it sent
-	if fpt.isProtected(peerC, sidStr) {
+	if fpt.isProtected(peerC) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer not to be protected")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager.go b/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager.go
index e5442d5c4e4245e1e892e81d82c564858912ff46..db46691b9442ede94e2f20ae4bd711afe8c53dab 100644
--- a/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager.go
+++ b/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (spm *SessionPeerManager) ProtectConnection(p peer.ID) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	spm.tagger.Protect(p, spm.protectedTag())
+	spm.tagger.Protect(p, spm.tag)
 }
 
 // RemovePeer removes the peer from the SessionPeerManager.
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (spm *SessionPeerManager) RemovePeer(p peer.ID) bool {
 
 	delete(spm.peers, p)
 	spm.tagger.UntagPeer(p, spm.tag)
-	spm.tagger.Unprotect(p, spm.protectedTag())
+	spm.tagger.Unprotect(p, spm.tag)
 
 	log.Debugw("Bitswap: removed peer from session", "session", spm.id, "peer", p, "peerCount", len(spm.peers))
 	return true
@@ -145,10 +145,6 @@ func (spm *SessionPeerManager) Shutdown() {
 	// connections to those peers
 	for p := range spm.peers {
 		spm.tagger.UntagPeer(p, spm.tag)
-		spm.tagger.Unprotect(p, spm.protectedTag())
+		spm.tagger.Unprotect(p, spm.tag)
 	}
 }
-
-func (spm *SessionPeerManager) protectedTag() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%d", spm.id)
-}
diff --git a/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager_test.go b/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager_test.go
index 7bb36b342f60fd98157618dc82cf536376a78a6c..746333c22772de3be01e9630fc82d6a9c66bb5b3 100644
--- a/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager_test.go
+++ b/internal/sessionpeermanager/sessionpeermanager_test.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package sessionpeermanager
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -71,6 +70,13 @@ func (fpt *fakePeerTagger) Unprotect(p peer.ID, tag string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func (fpt *fakePeerTagger) isProtected(p peer.ID) bool {
+	fpt.lk.Lock()
+	defer fpt.lk.Unlock()
+
+	return len(fpt.protectedPeers[p]) > 0
+}
+
 func TestAddPeers(t *testing.T) {
 	peers := testutil.GeneratePeers(2)
 	spm := New(1, &fakePeerTagger{})
@@ -247,26 +253,24 @@ func TestProtectConnection(t *testing.T) {
 	peers := testutil.GeneratePeers(1)
 	peerA := peers[0]
 	fpt := newFakePeerTagger()
-	sid := 1
-	sidstr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", sid)
 	spm := New(1, fpt)
 
 	// Should not protect connection if peer hasn't been added yet
 	spm.ProtectConnection(peerA)
-	if _, ok := fpt.protectedPeers[peerA][sidstr]; ok {
+	if fpt.isProtected(peerA) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer not to be protected")
 	}
 
 	// Once peer is added, should be able to protect connection
 	spm.AddPeer(peerA)
 	spm.ProtectConnection(peerA)
-	if _, ok := fpt.protectedPeers[peerA][sidstr]; !ok {
+	if !fpt.isProtected(peerA) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer to be protected")
 	}
 
 	// Removing peer should unprotect connection
 	spm.RemovePeer(peerA)
-	if _, ok := fpt.protectedPeers[peerA][sidstr]; ok {
+	if fpt.isProtected(peerA) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer to be unprotected")
 	}
 }
@@ -274,9 +278,7 @@ func TestProtectConnection(t *testing.T) {
 func TestShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 	peers := testutil.GeneratePeers(2)
 	fpt := newFakePeerTagger()
-	sid := uint64(1)
-	sidstr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", sid)
-	spm := New(sid, fpt)
+	spm := New(1, fpt)
 
 	spm.AddPeer(peers[0])
 	spm.AddPeer(peers[1])
@@ -285,7 +287,7 @@ func TestShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	spm.ProtectConnection(peers[0])
-	if _, ok := fpt.protectedPeers[peers[0]][sidstr]; !ok {
+	if !fpt.isProtected(peers[0]) {
 		t.Fatal("Expected peer to be protected")
 	}