House Homeland Security Chairman to develop cybersecurity bill

When asked about the privacy safeguards present in CISPA, McCaul touted an amendment he sponsored that would designate the Department of Homeland Security as the federal hub for information-sharing efforts about cyber threats. The amendment was ultimately adopted into the final bill that passed the lower chamber.

McCaul said his amendment was "actually praised by the privacy groups" because it provided "a civilian interface to the private sector rather than the military and the [National Security Agency]."

Privacy advocates had rallied against CISPA because they said it would allow companies to share cyber threat information directly with the military and the National Security Agency without being required to remove people's information from that data first. While privacy groups viewed McCaul's amendment as a positive step, they said it did not go far enough to quell their concerns about CISPA's impact on the public's civil liberties.

McCaul said he has engaged in discussions with the White House on cybersecurity.

"I've actually worked with the White House on my amendment and also my bill, which I think is going to get more praise because it does have a civilian interface rather than military," he said.