AWS Defense Framework

The 4 zones

Understanding the Four Zones of JIL's AWS Architecture

JIL's architecture is designed with a clear separation of concerns, dividing operations into four distinct zones to ensure the integrity and admissibility of evidence produced. Each zone has a specific role and is subject to different legal standards.

Zone 1: Source Data - Original records are stored in Customer Snowflake and never leave the environment. Each record is hash-anchored on CourtChain at ingestion.

Zone 2: ML Preprocessing - AWS managed services are used for operations such as entity resolution, document extraction, format normalization, schema mapping, and pre-screening. This zone does not produce findings.

Zone 3: Deterministic Firewall - A validation layer that performs schema compliance verification, source record hash integrity check, cross-validation against secondary sources, and suspicious-divergence detection.

Zone 4: Deterministic Check Engine - The evidence-producing engine that applies 234 declarative rules (growing to 456) using formal logic.

The separation between Zone 2 and Zone 4 is critical, ensuring that AWS services are used for preprocessing and not for producing the determination that becomes evidence.

5 engineering prohibitions

Five Engineering Prohibitions to Maintain Integrity

To uphold the separation of concerns and ensure the admissibility of evidence, JIL enforces five strict engineering prohibitions:

1. No findings produced in Zone 2: AWS services are restricted to preprocessing tasks only.

2. No direct data flow from Zone 2 to Zone 4: All data must pass through the deterministic firewall in Zone 3.

3. No changes to source records: The original records remain unchanged and are preserved with hash integrity.

4. No reliance on AWS proprietary algorithms for determinations: The deterministic check engine in Zone 4 uses declarative rules.

5. No opaque transformations: All transformations are documented and verifiable.

These prohibitions ensure that the evidence produced is independently verifiable and not subject to heightened scrutiny under Daubert or Proposed FRE 707.

Discovery response protocol

Discovery Response Protocol for AWS Usage

In response to discovery demands regarding JIL's use of AWS services, the following protocol should be followed:

1. Disclose the four-zone architecture and the role of AWS services within it.

2. Provide documentation of the boundary hash and firewall audit between Zone 2 and Zone 3.

3. Offer access to the deterministic check engine rules and the preserved source records.

4. Explain the five engineering prohibitions and how they maintain the integrity of the evidence.

This protocol ensures transparency and provides a clear defense against challenges to the admissibility of JIL's evidence.

Cross-examination playbook

Cross-Examination Playbook for Defending AWS Usage

Prepare for cross-examination with the following playbook:

1. Emphasize the separation of concerns between preprocessing and determination zones.

2. Highlight the role of the deterministic firewall in Zone 3 to ensure data integrity.

3. Demonstrate the bit-identical reproducibility of findings using the deterministic check engine.

4. Address each variant of the AWS question with specific responses mapped to the four-zone architecture.

This playbook provides a structured approach to defending JIL's use of AWS services in court.

Independent verifiability

Ensuring Independent Verifiability of Evidence

JIL ensures the independent verifiability of its evidence through the following measures:

1. Preservation of source records alongside findings in every CREB packet.

2. Documentation of the boundary hash and firewall audit between Zone 2 and Zone 3.

3. Bit-identical reproducibility of findings using the deterministic check engine.

These measures allow any auditor to re-run the deterministic check against the preserved source record and obtain the same result, ensuring the evidence is independently verifiable.

Source record preservation

Preservation of Source Records for Audit and Verification

JIL preserves source records with the following practices:

1. Hash-anchoring of original records on CourtChain at ingestion.

2. Unchanged preservation of source records throughout the preprocessing and determination stages.

3. Inclusion of source records alongside findings in every CREB packet.

This preservation ensures that the source records are available for audit and verification, maintaining the integrity and admissibility of the evidence produced.