{{refimprove, date=April 2007
Commodity Classification Automated Tracking System (CCATS) is an alphanumeric code assigned by the United States
Bureau of Industry and Security
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce that deals with issues involving national security and high technology. A principal goal for the bureau is helping stop the proliferation of weapo ...
(BIS) to products that it has classified under the
Export Administration Regulations
The Export Administration Regulations (EAR) are a set of regulations found a15 C.F.R. ยง 730 ''et seq'' They are administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security, which is part of the US Commerce Department. The EAR regulates export and expo ...
(EAR). Software companies provide the CCATS number because some
encryption
In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can d ...
exports require the exporter to make post-shipment reporting to BIS on a bi-annual basis and the CCATS number is one of the mandatory elements required for reporting.