ITAR/EAR Filter

The itar-ear-filter policy blocks export-control reference terms associated with ITAR and EAR. It evaluates request text and also performs buffered output checks. Request-side evaluation supports optional fuzzy matching; buffered output checks use exact word-boundary matching.

Configuration

pack:
  name: itar-ear-filter
  version: "1.0.0"
  enabled: true

policies:
  chain:
    - itar-ear-filter

policy:
  itar-ear-filter:
    blocked_terms:
      - "missile guidance"
      - "night vision"
      - "export controlled"
    fuzzy_matching: true
    max_distance: 1

Fields

Field	Type	Description	Default
blocked_terms	string[]	Terms used for matching. If empty, the gateway falls back to a built-in reference list including terms such as itar, ear, usml, eccn, missile guidance, night vision, nuclear technology, and classified information.	built-in list
action	block	The only accepted and effective action.	block
fuzzy_matching	boolean	Enables Levenshtein-distance matching in the request-phase check. Buffered output checks do not use fuzzy matching.	false
max_distance	integer	Maximum request-side edit distance used when fuzzy_matching is enabled.	1

How it works

1. Request phase: the gateway lowercases the joined request text and looks for configured or built-in blocked terms.
2. Optional fuzzy matching: if fuzzy_matching is enabled, request evaluation uses edit-distance matching with max_distance.
3. Buffered output checks: the server also scans buffered output text for the same terms using exact word-boundary matching.
4. Verdict: any match blocks the request or output. itar-ear-filter does not provide redact or warn behavior.

Important notes

• The built-in list is a reference list of export-control markers. It is not an exhaustive legal representation of every USML or CCL category.
• Output checks currently use exact matching even when request-side fuzzy_matching is enabled.
• This policy is a technical guardrail, not a substitute for export-control review.

Valid examples

Strict built-in defaults

pack:
  name: defense-defaults
  version: "1.0.0"
  enabled: true

policies:
  chain:
    - itar-ear-filter

policy:
  itar-ear-filter: {}

Add program-specific terms

pack:
  name: defense-program-terms
  version: "1.0.0"
  enabled: true

policies:
  chain:
    - itar-ear-filter

policy:
  itar-ear-filter:
    blocked_terms:
      - "radar cross section"
      - "thermal imaging"
      - "satellite technology"
    fuzzy_matching: true
    max_distance: 2

Best practices

• Start with built-in terms, then add organization-specific terms for programs, platforms, and components.
• Use fuzzy matching only where typo or obfuscation risk outweighs false-positive cost.
• Pair this filter with entity-list-filter and dual-use-filter for broader export-control coverage.

Next steps

• Dual-Use Filter — Additional capability-focused screening
• Entity List Filter — Restricted-entity matching
• DLP Filter — General sensitive-pattern blocking
• Data Routing Policy — Provider-level routing restrictions