The House late Thursday voted 248-168 to pass an amended version of the , or CISPA, even though the White House Office of Management and Budget has recommended that .

Civil liberties groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology and the American Civil Liberties Union, have opposed the bill, saying it would open up Internet communications to snooping by government agencies, including the U.S. National Security Agency.

But supporters argued the bill is needed to help private companies and government agencies fight cyberattacks. "There are people today who are literally robbing the future of America" by attacking U.S. companies, said Representative Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and lead sponsor of CISPA. "This is the one small thing we get to do to prepare for a bunch of folks who want to bring us down."

CISPA now moves to the Senate.

CISPA would allow companies such as broadband providers to share customer communications related to cyberthreats with a wide range of government agencies. The bill exempts private companies that share cyberthreat information in "good faith" from customer lawsuits.