ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations)

ITAR generally prohibits sharing controlled technical data with foreign persons — including many foreign-national employees — without a specific State Department license, and requires a license for export to nearly every foreign destination. It applies based on a technology's design intent: if an item was designed, developed, or specifically modified for military use, it's ITAR-controlled regardless of any civilian applications it might also have.

This is the key difference from EAR, the other major US export control regime: EAR covers broader commercial and dual-use items with generally less restrictive foreign-person and licensing rules. See ITAR vs EAR: export control basics for dual-use startups for the full comparison, including how the classification affects hiring, cap tables, and foreign investment.