Forensic System Architecture: A Foundational Paper

Authors: Randy Gipe & ChatGPT

August 2025

Abstract

Forensic System Architecture (FSA) is a new discipline that studies hidden power structures by reconstructing the underlying "blueprints" of control from fragmented, surface-level events. Much like an architect studying ruins to understand a lost civilization, FSA practitioners examine scattered traces, anomalies, and discontinuities to reveal the system designs that shape outcomes. This foundational paper defines the methodology, illustrates its application through case studies, and positions FSA as a tool for democratic resilience.

Defining Forensic System Architecture

FSA is the structured analysis of covert or obscured systems of power. Its premise: surface confusion often conceals systemic order. By analyzing events through an architectural lens, FSA seeks to expose the hidden frameworks that govern behavior, institutions, and outcomes.

Methodology

1. Reconstruction: Gather and arrange fragmented evidence, data, or accounts into a coherent timeline or map.
2. Mapping: Identify relationships between actors, institutions, and events.
3. Anomaly Detection: Highlight discontinuities, contradictions, or actions inconsistent with standard procedure.
4. Prototype Analysis: Infer the hidden system design (the "architecture") that could produce the observed anomalies.

Case Study 1: The PROMIS Software

The PROMIS (Prosecutor’s Management Information System) software controversy illustrates FSA’s relevance in technology and geopolitics. Initially a data management tool, PROMIS became entangled in espionage, intellectual property theft, and covert operations. Through FSA:

• Reconstruction: Timelines of development, theft, and distribution reveal strange gaps and inconsistencies.
• Mapping: Links appear between software companies, intelligence agencies, and international actors.
• Anomaly Detection: Legal rulings, unexplained licensing arrangements, and global diffusion suggest non-market forces at work.
• Prototype Analysis: The architecture revealed is an early model of digital power projection—software as a geopolitical weapon.

Case Study 2: The Wonderland Murders

The 1981 Wonderland Murders in Los Angeles appeared at first as a brutal drug crime. Yet applying FSA:

• Reconstruction: Dual timelines are built: one tracking John Holmes’s movements, the other LAPD and Eddie Nash’s actions.
• Mapping: Connections emerge between celebrities, organized crime, law enforcement, and intelligence-linked networks.
• Anomaly Detection: LAPD’s treatment of Holmes—completely inconsistent with homicide protocol—signals external influence.
• Prototype Analysis: The system revealed is an insulation architecture, protecting high-value assets by distorting standard legal procedure.

Why FSA Matters

By naming these architectures, FSA reduces the power of obfuscation. Hidden systems rely on confusion; clarity erodes their insulation. FSA’s strength lies not in speculative theory but in rigorous reconstruction of how anomalies reveal system design. This makes FSA both a scholarly discipline and a civic tool.

Conclusion

Forensic System Architecture provides a framework to analyze the invisible designs that shape visible events. By reconstructing blueprints of power from fragments, it enables practitioners to expose concealed architectures of influence. As technology, crime, and governance increasingly overlap, FSA is positioned as a vital methodology for truth-seeking and democratic resilience.