Question 1

Is ITAR Screen a substitute for legal counsel?

Accepted Answer

ITAR Screen is an AI-assisted screening tool designed to help compliance teams make faster, more informed initial screening assessments — it is not a substitute for the judgment of a licensed export control attorney. For any product you believe may require a formal USML or EAR determination, or before proceeding with an actual export, you should engage qualified export control counsel. ITAR Screen produces USML citations and structured reasoning that can significantly accelerate your counsel's review — but the final compliance determination and legal responsibility remain with you.

Question 2

How is ITAR Screen different from Descartes Visual Compliance?

Accepted Answer

Descartes Visual Compliance is a full-featured enterprise trade compliance platform built for large organizations with dedicated compliance departments, ERP integration requirements, and annual contract budgets. ITAR Screen is built specifically for teams where ITAR/EAR classification and denied-party screening are the bottleneck — not full trade management. Setup takes minutes rather than months, pricing starts at $99/month rather than $15,000–$100,000/year, and every classification returns a USML citation with AI-generated reasoning — something traditional enterprise tools do not provide.

Question 3

What watchlists do you screen against?

Accepted Answer

ITAR Screen screens against three primary government lists: the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, the BIS Denied Persons List (DPL), and the Trade.gov Consolidated Screening List (CSL) — which itself aggregates the Entity List, Debarred Parties List, Non-proliferation Sanctions, and 10+ additional government lists. Together these cover more than 45,000 entries. All lists are updated daily via direct government data feeds.

Question 4

How fresh is the OFAC SDN data?

Accepted Answer

ITAR Screen pulls the OFAC SDN list directly from the U.S. Treasury's public data feed and refreshes daily. OFAC publishes SDN changes on an irregular basis — sometimes multiple times per week — so we check for updates every 24 hours and apply them before the next screening batch runs. For time-sensitive transactions, we recommend re-screening immediately before executing if more than 24 hours have elapsed since your last screen.

Question 5

What happens if a product is "AMBIGUOUS"?

Accepted Answer

An AMBIGUOUS result means the AI determined that the product description contains characteristics that could match USML categories or EAR controls, but the available information is insufficient to render a HIGH or MEDIUM confidence determination. This is intentional — we flag uncertainty rather than guess. When you receive an AMBIGUOUS result, ITAR Screen provides the specific ambiguity reason, the USML categories that could apply, and recommended next steps. In most cases, the appropriate action is to provide a more detailed product description or consult export control counsel.

Question 6

Does ITAR Screen cover EAR / ECCN classifications?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every classification includes an EAR cross-check — ITAR Screen evaluates whether a product that is not USML-controlled may still be subject to Export Administration Regulations (EAR) under the Commerce Control List (CCL) and returns an ECCN code where applicable. ITAR Screen does not replace a formal commodity classification request to BIS, but it provides a structured initial assessment that helps you understand your likely ECCN and the applicable reasons for control before engaging BIS or export counsel.

Question 7

How is the 10-year screening record stored and protected?

Accepted Answer

Every classification is stored as an immutable record in a Railway-hosted PostgreSQL database (US infrastructure), encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.3. Records are timestamped and versioned against the specific USML reference text in use at the time of the classification, so your screening record reflects what the regulations said when you ran the screen — not a retroactive interpretation. Records cannot be edited or deleted, supporting 22 CFR §122.5 recordkeeping obligations under ITAR.

Question 8

Can I export classifications for compliance review support?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Any individual classification or batch can be exported as a print-ready PDF or machine-readable XML with one click. Each export includes the full screening result, USML category citation, risk level, EAR cross-check, confidence score, and the AI reasoning narrative — formatted for readability in a legal or regulatory context. These exports are designed to support compliance review or internal legal review without requiring additional reformatting.

Question 9

What is a USML category citation?

Accepted Answer

A USML category citation is a specific reference to the U.S. Munitions List category and paragraph that ITAR Screen believes covers your product — for example, "Category I(a) — Firearms" or "Category XV(f) — Spacecraft components." Every ITAR Screen result includes this citation along with the relevant regulatory text and the AI's reasoning for why the product matches or does not match that category. This is what makes an ITAR Screen result useful in a compliance context: it shows not just a risk level but the specific regulatory basis for that screening result.

Question 10

Do you offer API access for bulk classification?

Accepted Answer

Yes — API access is available on the Pro plan ($499/month). The API accepts product descriptions and returns structured JSON with USML screening result, category citation, risk level, EAR cross-check, and reasoning. Pro customers use the API to integrate ITAR screening into product lifecycle management systems, ERP workflows, and internal compliance portals. API documentation is available in the dashboard after signup. For higher-volume requirements beyond 2,500 classifications/month, contact us at custom@itarscreen.com.

Common questions answered

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