About¶
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The Author
Chris Perkins — Staff Solutions Architect at Splunk, a Cisco Company
Mission¶
"I am dedicated to bridging the gap between communities and technology to forge a safer, data-empowered world."
The Kinetic Trust Protocol represents a fundamental shift in how we think about digital trust. Rather than treating trust as a binary policy decision, KTP measures and operationalizes trust using principles from physics—mass, velocity, gravity, and friction.
This work emerges from two decades of experience in observability, security operations, and data analytics. It's informed by the landscapes of New Mexico, the resilience of Indigenous communities, and a deep belief that technology should serve human flourishing.
The Journey¶
2000s — Foundation
Networking & Cybersecurity
Building foundational expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and customer service. Working with partners including Presidio and ANM, serving public sector clients and consulting internationally.
Key insight: The best systems are invisible—they just work.
2010s — Solutions Engineering & Architecture
Building & Designing at Scale
Solutions engineering and architecture work across diverse sectors. Deep focus on public sector clients and international consulting engagements. Expertise in designing resilient, scalable systems.
Key insight: Architecture is about trade-offs, constraints, and the courage to say no.
2016 — Full-Time Solutions Architect
Transition to Pure Architecture
Moved to dedicated solutions architecting role, focusing on complex technical design and strategic advisory. Continued deep engagement with public sector and global projects.
Key insight: The best architects listen more than they speak.
2020 — Joining Splunk
Observability & Analytics Platform
Joined Splunk as Solutions Architect, bringing cybersecurity and public sector expertise to data analytics and observability. Understanding how to turn raw telemetry into actionable intelligence.
Key insight: You cannot improve what you cannot measure.
2023 — ODAM
Operationalizing Data Analytics Methodology
Published the ODAM methodology for building data-driven organizations and Analytics Centers of Excellence. Codifying years of experience into a repeatable framework.
Key insight: Methodology bridges the gap between data and action.
2024 — Web of Data
Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Explored the intersection of technology, identity, and sovereignty through the Web of Data project. Bringing New Mexico's history and Indigenous perspectives into technology design.
Key insight: Data governance must respect the communities it affects.
2025 — Digital Physics
The Voyage & KTP RFCs
Launched the Digital Physics newsletter and began formalizing the Kinetic Trust Protocol through RFCs.
- The Voyage: 12 Days series on Medium
- 12 Days of Digital Physics on Substack
- KTP RFC specifications
Key insight: Trust is physics, not policy.
2026 — KTP Launch
Kinetic Trust Protocol
Public release of the KTP specification and reference implementations. An internet governed by digital physics, not policy.
Key insight: The future is trustworthy by design.
Perspective¶
The Kingston View¶
Present day: Gila National Forest, Kingston, New Mexico. 7,040 ft elevation.
From this vantage point in the foothills between the Mesilla Valley river and the Organ Mountains, the patterns become clear. The land teaches patience. The high desert teaches resilience. The history teaches that systems—human and digital—are built on relationships, not transactions.
Why Physics?¶
Policy is negotiable. Physics is not.
When we model digital trust using physics principles, we create systems that:
- Cannot be gamed — Trust emerges from measurable reality
- Are self-correcting — Feedback loops maintain equilibrium
- Scale naturally — Physical laws work at any size
- Remain human-centered — The Zeroth Law constrains all optimization
The Zeroth Law¶
Before any other principle:
Algorithmic efficiency must never exceed ethical constraints.
This is not a suggestion. It is a constitutional limit built into the fabric of Digital Physics.
Background¶
Professional¶
- Current: Staff Solutions Architect, Splunk (a Cisco Company)
- Focus: Security operations, observability, data analytics
- Region: Serving customers across diverse sectors
Publications¶
| Platform | Content |
|---|---|
| Medium | The Voyage series, Web of Data, thought leadership |
| Substack | Digital Physics newsletter |
| ODAM | Operationalizing Data Analytics Methodology |
Tools¶
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Data Compass | Security maturity navigator |
| Web of Data | Indigenous data sovereignty explorer |
About NMCITRA¶
NMCITRA (New Mexico Cyber Intelligence & Threat Response Alliance) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting New Mexico through collaborative cyber defense. Chris Perkins serves as Co-Founder and President of the Board of Directors.
Mission¶
NMCITRA provides a trusted, neutral hub where private sector organizations, government agencies, tribal nations, and law enforcement share actionable threat intelligence—without victim attribution—enabling faster collective defense across New Mexico.
When one organization detects a threat, every member benefits from that intelligence—often before the threat reaches their perimeter.
Built on the ACTRA Framework¶
NMCITRA adapts the proven model established by the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA), which has facilitated secure information sharing since 2013. Rather than building from scratch, NMCITRA partnered with ACTRA to bring a battle-tested, operational system to New Mexico on Day 1.
This partnership provides members with:
- 24/7 Global Watch Center — Constant vigilance from experienced analysts
- Mature Threat Intelligence Platform — Real-time, machine-readable threat feeds
- Automated Defense Feeds — Direct integration with security tools via API
- Decade of Best Practices — Proven playbooks and protocols refined over 10 years
The New Mexico Difference¶
While ACTRA provides the engine, NMCITRA is the vehicle built for New Mexico's unique terrain:
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Tribal Focus
Culturally-aware engagement models that respect the sovereignty of New Mexico's 23 tribal nations and pueblos.
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Local Leadership
Board composed of New Mexico leaders who understand our state's economy, infrastructure, and landscape.
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Regional Community
Peer network of professionals facing the same regional challenges, building trusted relationships.
KTP Connection¶
NMCITRA serves as the organizational home for the Kinetic Trust Protocol project. The principles of collective defense, trust without attribution, and physics-based measurement that power NMCITRA's mission directly inform KTP's design:
| NMCITRA Principle | KTP Implementation |
|---|---|
| Trust without attribution | Zero-knowledge proofs, privacy-preserving trust |
| Real-time threat intelligence | Context Tensor telemetry streams |
| Collective defense | Federation and zone-based trust propagation |
| Proven operational framework | ACTRA → ODAM → KTP methodology evolution |
The KTP RFC repository is maintained as an open-source project, welcoming contributions from researchers, developers, and practitioners who share the vision of an internet governed by digital physics, not policy.
Visit NMCITRA.org Contact NMCITRA
Connect¶
The Foundation
This documentation site, the RFCs, and the tools represent years of thinking about how to make digital systems more trustworthy. But they are just the beginning. The real work is in implementation—in building systems that earn trust through measurable, verifiable, physics-based behavior.
Thank you for being part of this journey.