HPRM — Harm Propagation Module
OOF® Origin Open Foundation®
Independent Methodological Authority
Canonical Definition
The HPRM — Harm Propagation Module governs how an already governed Harmextends beyond its previously affected scope through materially traceable
propagation pathways into additional subjects, objects, systems, domains,
locations, organizations, infrastructure, environments, or populations.
HPRM establishes whether Harm has materially spread, where propagation
originates relative to the governed Harm, through what pathway it
proceeds, what additional scope becomes affected, whether the propagated
condition remains part of the same Harm or may constitute distinct
downstream Harm, and what propagation state requires Boundary
reassessment, Cascading governance, State reassessment, or Containment.
It establishes the transition:
Governed Harm Compounding / Change State → Propagation Signal →
Propagation Pathway → Additional Affected Scope → Propagation
Determination → Governed Harm Propagation State
Its central question is:
Has existing Harm materially extended into additional affected scope,
through what pathway, and what governed Harm relationship results from
that spread?
- Operational Role
HCIM identifies material Harm Change.
HACM governs additive Harm build-up.
HCOM governs amplification through interaction.
HPRM governs:
the movement or extension of Harm into additional affected scope.
Its operational role is:
to preserve the continuity, pathway, scope, identity relationships, and
governance consequences of Harm as it spreads beyond its prior
manifestation.
- Position Within HCPS
The HCPS governance flow is:
Change Identification → Accumulation → Compounding → Propagation →
Cascading
HPRM receives relevant:
Governed Harm Change
Accumulation
and:Compounding
states where applicable.It produces:
Governed Harm Propagation State
for subsequent Cascading, Boundary, State, and Containment governance.- Governed Object
The primary governed object is:
Propagation of Existing Harm
Propagation requires materially relevant extension beyond previouslyaffected scope.
Therefore:
Harm Increase ≠ Harm Propagation by Default
A Harm may become substantially worse while remaining entirely within the
same affected scope.
- Foundational Propagation Principle
The foundational rule is:
Harm propagation is governed by where consequence materially extends, not
by where the originating mechanism operates.
The producing mechanism may remain in one place while Harm spreads
elsewhere.
Conversely, a mechanism may operate across many systems without Harm
propagating across all of them.
Therefore:
Mechanism Distribution ≠ Harm Propagation
- Propagation Origin
HPRM should identify the relevant starting point of a propagation
relationship.
This may be:
the original Harm condition
an accumulated Harm condition
a compounded Harm condition
or:
an already propagated manifestation
Propagation origin does not necessarily mean original Harm-producing
mechanism.
Canonical distinction:
Propagation Origin ≠ Original Cause by Default
- Propagation Signal
A Propagation Signal indicates that existing Harm may have reached
additional affected scope.
Signals may include:
new affected subjects
new affected systems
new locations
new domains
new infrastructure effects
new environmental effects
or:
other downstream manifestations
But:
Propagation Signal ≠ Established Propagation
The relationship must be evaluated.
- Additional Affected Scope
Propagation requires materially relevant expansion into additional
affected scope.
Scope may expand across:
subjects
objects
systems
organizations
locations
domains
infrastructure
environments
or:
populations
The new scope must be represented without silently redefining the original
Governed Harm Boundary.
- Propagation Pathway
HPRM should identify the materially relevant pathway through which Harm
extends.
A pathway may involve:
physical transfer
digital transmission
information replication
dependency relationships
economic relationships
behavioral interaction
organizational processes
environmental movement
infrastructure interconnection
or another materially relevant pathway.
The pathway must be governed sufficiently to understand propagation
without turning HPRM into a general forensic architecture.
- Pathway Continuity
A propagation pathway may cross several intermediate systems or
environments.
Conceptually:
Harm A → System B → Network C → Subject D
The intermediate elements do not automatically become separate Harm
objects.
HPRM must preserve the materially relevant propagation relationship across
the pathway.
Canonical principle:
Operational Intermediaries Must Not Break Harm Propagation Continuity.
- Direct Propagation
Direct propagation occurs where existing Harm extends into additional
scope without a materially distinct intermediate Harm consequence.
Conceptually:
Harm₁ / Scope A → Scope B
where the propagated manifestation remains part of Harm₁.
- Indirect Propagation
Propagation may proceed through intermediate mechanisms or dependencies.
Conceptually:
Harm₁ → Dependency → Additional Affected Scope
Indirectness does not prevent Propagation governance where the materially
relevant relationship can be established.
Therefore:
Indirect Pathway ≠ No Propagation
- Multi-Step Propagation
Propagation may proceed through several stages:
Scope A → Scope B → Scope C → Scope D
HPRM should preserve the propagation chain where materially relevant.
However, if these stages generate distinct downstream Harm objects rather
than merely extending the same Harm, Cascading governance may become
necessary.
- Temporal Propagation
Propagation may be:
Immediate
Delayed
Gradual
Intermittent
Latent
or:Variable
Therefore:No Immediate Spread ≠ No Propagation
The propagation timeline may differ materially from the originating Harm
timeline.
- Delayed Propagation Recognition
Propagation may occur before it is detected.
Therefore:
Propagation Time ≠ Detection Time
and:
Detection Time ≠ Recording Time
Where supportable, HPRM should preserve the actual or best-governed
propagation interval separately from administrative discovery.
- Propagation Velocity
Where relevant, HPRM may govern how quickly Harm is extending.
Possible patterns include:
Slow
Moderate
Rapid
Accelerating
Variable
or:Uncertain
Propagation velocity may materially influence Containment urgency.- Propagation Magnitude
HPRM may represent the material extent of spread through:
number of additional subjects
additional affected area
additional systems
additional domains
additional infrastructure
or another appropriate measure.
But:
Propagation Magnitude ≠ Harm Severity
A Harm can spread widely while producing limited individual effects, or
remain localized while being extremely severe.
- Subject-to-Subject Propagation
Harm may extend from one affected subject to others through materially
relevant pathways.
HPRM must preserve:
original affected subject
additional affected subjects
and:
the propagation relationship
without assuming that all subjects necessarily share an identical Harm
condition.
- System-to-System Propagation
Digital, autonomous, infrastructural, or operational Harm may extend
across connected systems.
For example:
System A Harm → Dependency / Transmission Path → System B → System C
Canonical principle:
System Boundary ≠ Harm Propagation Boundary
- Cross-Organizational Propagation
Harm may extend across organizational boundaries.
A supplier, platform, provider, operator, customer, public institution, or
downstream organization may become materially affected.
Therefore:
Organizational Boundary ≠ Harm Boundary
and:
Organizational Transfer ≠ Propagation Termination
- Geographic Propagation
Physical, environmental, infrastructural, digital, economic, or societal
Harm may extend across geographic areas.
HPRM must preserve geographic scope where it materially affects
governance.
Administrative borders do not themselves determine whether Harm
propagated.
- Cross-Domain Propagation
Harm may extend from one domain into another.
Examples:
Digital → Financial
Environmental → Health
Physical → Organizational
Infrastructure → Societal
However, cross-domain consequence requires an identity test.
The resulting condition may represent:
continued manifestation of Harm₁
or:
distinct downstream Harm₂
Therefore:
Cross-Domain Effect ≠ Same Harm by Default
- Same-Harm Propagation
Where the additional affected manifestation remains methodologically part
of the existing Harm:
Harm₁ / Scope A → Harm₁ / Scope A+B
HPRM preserves the same Harm identity while recording expanded scope.
This may trigger HBS Boundary reassessment.
- New Downstream Harm
Where propagation creates a materially distinct Harm condition:
Harm₁ → downstream consequence → Harm₂
HPRM preserves the relationship but does not silently absorb Harm₂ into
Harm₁.
Harm₂ may require:
Emergence
Recognition
Boundary
Determination
and:State
governance.Canonical principle:
Propagation Relationship Does Not Automatically Establish Harm Identity
Continuity.
- Boundary Reassessment
Where established Propagation extends beyond the current Governed Harm
Boundary, HPRM must generate:
Boundary Reassessment Trigger
HBS remains responsible for formal Boundary governance.Therefore:
Propagation Detection ≠ Automatic Boundary Expansion
- Propagation vs Accumulation
Accumulation increases Harm through repeated or continuing contributions.
Propagation expands affected scope.
Therefore:
Increasing Harm ≠ Propagating Harm
A Harm may accumulate without spreading.
A Harm may propagate without materially increasing the Harm experienced by
its original subject.
- Propagation vs Compounding
Compounding amplifies Harm through interacting conditions.
Propagation extends Harm into additional scope.
Therefore:
Amplification ≠ Propagation
Compounded Harm may later propagate, but these remain separate dynamics.
- Propagation vs Cascading
Propagation concerns extension of Harm.
Cascading concerns sequential downstream Harm formation or consequence
chains.
Conceptually:
Propagation: Harm₁ / Scope A → Harm₁ / Scope B
Cascade: Harm₁ → Harm₂ → Harm₃
Therefore:
Spread ≠ Cascade by Default
- Propagation After Mechanism Termination
The originating mechanism may stop while Harm continues spreading.
For example:
source system disabled
while:
already distributed effects continue reaching additional systems
or:
physical source removed
while:
environmental consequence continues moving
Canonical principle:
Termination of the originating mechanism does not necessarily terminate
Harm propagation.
- Propagation During Containment
Containment may begin while propagation continues.
Therefore:
Containment Initiated ≠ Propagation Stopped
Actual Propagation must be monitored until sufficient governance
establishes that further spread has been bounded.
- Propagation Cessation
Propagation ceases when the governed Harm no longer materially extends
into additional scope through the relevant propagation pathway.
But:
Propagation Stopped ≠ Harm Ended
Existing Harm in already affected scope may remain:
Active
Stabilized
Reduced
Recovering
or:Residual
- Distributed Propagation
Propagation may occur across many systems, agents, environments, or
organizations.
No single participant may observe the complete spread.
HPRM must preserve the coherent propagation trajectory across fragmented
operational observations.
Canonical principle:
Distributed Observation ≠ Fragmented Harm Reality.
- Composite and Collective Propagation
Composite Harm may propagate through only some components while materially
changing the whole affected scope.
Collective Harm may expand across additional populations even where
individual outcomes vary.
Therefore:
Component Propagation ≠ Whole-Harm Propagation by Default
and:
Individual Non-Propagation ≠ No Collective Propagation
The appropriate Harm-object level must govern the conclusion.
- Propagation Visibility and Uncertainty
Observed propagation may represent only part of actual spread.
HPRM must preserve uncertainty concerning:
affected scope
pathway
timing
velocity
magnitude
identity continuity
or:
downstream consequences
Canonical principle:
Observed Propagation ≠ Complete Propagation by Default.
- Prediction and Simulation
PGA™ may predict future propagation.
SIMULOS® may simulate possible propagation pathways.
These outputs may support:
monitoring
Containment planning
or:scenario preparation
But:
Predicted Propagation ≠ Actual Propagation
Simulated Propagation ≠ Actual Propagation
HPRM governs the actual Harm propagation state.
- State Relationship
Propagation may cause or contribute to Harm State change.
For example:
Active Harm + Rapid Propagation
may support:
Escalating State
But:Propagation ≠ Escalating State
HPRM provides relevant information to HSS without replacing State
governance.
- Containment Relationship
HPRM is a primary upstream input to HCOS.
Effective Containment may depend on knowing:
what is propagating
from where
through which pathway
toward what scope
at what velocity
and:
with what uncertainty
The handoff is:
Governed Harm Propagation State → Harm Containment Need
- Minimum Implementation Framework
A minimum HPRM implementation requires eight capabilities.
- Propagation Signal Detection
Identify materially relevant indications that existing Harm may have
extended into additional affected scope.
- Propagation Pathway Governance
Identify and preserve materially relevant direct, indirect, multi-step,
physical, digital, dependency, organizational, environmental, or other
propagation pathways.
- Scope Expansion Governance
Represent additional affected subjects, objects, systems, domains,
locations, organizations, infrastructure, environments, or populations.
- Temporal & Propagation Dynamics
Represent propagation timing, velocity, magnitude, delay, intermittency,
and uncertainty where supportable.
- Harm Identity & Boundary Control
Distinguish same-Harm propagation from materially distinct downstream Harm
and trigger Boundary reassessment where appropriate.
- Complex Propagation Representation
Support distributed, composite, collective, cross-domain, cross-system,
cross-organizational, and geographic propagation.
- Cessation & Historical Continuity
Preserve propagation history, delayed recognition, pathway changes,
containment interaction, cessation, and Harm that remains after
propagation stops.
- Governed Output
Produce a traceable Governed Harm Propagation State suitable for
Cascading, State, Boundary, Monitoring, and Containment governance. 39.
Use Case 1 — Digital Harm Continues After the Source System Is Disabled
An autonomous system creates a harmful digital condition that has already
entered connected downstream systems.
The originating system is disabled.
The harmful condition nevertheless continues reaching additional systems
through previously established dependencies and replicated information.
HPRM governs:
Existing Harm → Propagation Pathway → Additional Systems → Expanded
Affected Scope
rather than concluding:
Source Stopped → Harm Stopped
The governing principle is:
Harm propagation may continue after the mechanism that initiated it can no
longer act.
- Use Case 2 — Environmental Harm Extends Into a New Domain
A governed environmental Harm spreads geographically and begins producing
materially distinct health consequences among an affected population.
HPRM governs the environmental spread and identifies the cross-domain
downstream relationship.
It does not automatically treat every health consequence as merely an
expanded environmental manifestation.
Where materially distinct Health Harm has emerged:
Environmental Harm₁ → Propagation / Downstream Relationship → Potential
Health Harm₂
appropriate HAGA™ lifecycle governance is initiated for Harm₂.
The governing principle is:
Propagation must preserve relationships without forcing every downstream
consequence into the identity of the original Harm.
- Governance Requirements
HPRM requires that:
- Propagation remain associated with an existing governed Harm
- Harm Increase remain distinct from Harm Propagation
- mechanism distribution remain distinct from Harm propagation
- Propagation Origin remain distinguishable from original cause
- Propagation Signals remain separate from established Propagation
- additional affected scope remain explicitly represented
- materially relevant pathways remain traceable
- operational intermediaries not break Propagation continuity
- direct, indirect, multi-step, delayed, intermittent, and latent
Propagation remain governable; - Propagation time remain distinguishable
from detection and recording time; - velocity and magnitude remain
representable where relevant; - subject, system, organizational,
geographic, and cross-domain Propagation remain governable; - same-Harm
Propagation remain distinguishable from new downstream Harm; - Boundary
expansion require appropriate HBS governance; - Propagation remain
distinct from Accumulation, Compounding, and Cascading; - mechanism
termination not automatically terminate Propagation; - Containment
initiation not establish Propagation cessation; - Propagation cessation
remain separate from Harm termination; - distributed observations not
fragment Harm reality; - uncertainty and visibility limitations remain
explicit; - Prediction and Simulation remain distinct from actual
Propagation; - Propagation history remain traceable; - Containment Need
remain derivable from the actual Propagation state.
- Governance Logic
HPRM applies the following logic:
Does an existing governed Harm exist?
If no:
→ HPRM cannot establish formal Harm Propagation.
If yes:
→ establish the currently affected scope.
Has a Propagation Signal appeared?
If no:
→ preserve the existing Propagation state subject to Monitoring.
If yes:
→ identify the potential additional affected scope.
Has Harm actually extended beyond the previously affected scope?
If no:
→ Propagation is not established.
If yes:
→ identify the materially relevant pathway.
Then determine:
where did propagation begin relative to the governed Harm?
where has it extended?
when did it occur?
how quickly is it spreading?
how materially has scope expanded?
Next:
Does the additional manifestation remain part of the same Harm?
If yes:
→ preserve Harm identity and assess Boundary reassessment.
If uncertain:
→ preserve uncertainty and invoke appropriate HAGA™ governance.
If materially distinct downstream Harm has formed:
→ preserve the relationship and initiate the relevant Harm lifecycle for
the new Harm.
Then test:
Is the Harm also accumulating?
→ preserve Accumulation governance.
Is it materially compounding?
→ preserve Compounding governance.
Is it generating sequential downstream Harm?
→ continue into Cascading governance.
Does Propagation require immediate bounding?
→ produce Harm Containment Need.
At every stage:
Propagation Signal ≠ Propagation
Harm Increase ≠ Propagation
Mechanism Distribution ≠ Propagation
Accumulation ≠ Propagation
Compounding ≠ Propagation
Spread ≠ Cascade
Propagation Detection ≠ Automatic Boundary Expansion
Propagation Stopped ≠ Harm Ended
- Governance Outputs
HPRM may produce:
Governed Harm Propagation State
Propagation Signal
Propagation Origin
Propagation Pathway
Propagation Scope
Additional Affected Scope
Propagation Time
Propagation Velocity
Propagation Magnitude
Direct Propagation
Indirect Propagation
Multi-Step Propagation
Delayed Propagation
Distributed Propagation
Composite Propagation
Collective Propagation
Cross-Domain Propagation
Geographic Propagation
Same-Harm Propagation
Potential Downstream Harm
Propagation Uncertainty
Boundary Reassessment Trigger
Cascading Assessment Trigger
HSS Reassessment Trigger
Propagation Cessation
Harm Propagation History
Harm Containment Need
The principal output is:Governed Harm Propagation State
- Critical Distinctions
Harm Increase ≠ Harm Propagation
Mechanism Distribution ≠ Harm Propagation
Propagation Origin ≠ Original Cause
Propagation Signal ≠ Established Propagation
Operational Intermediary ≠ New Harm by Default
Indirect Pathway ≠ No Propagation
No Immediate Spread ≠ No Propagation
Propagation Time ≠ Detection Time
Propagation Magnitude ≠ Harm Severity
System Boundary ≠ Harm Propagation Boundary
Organizational Boundary ≠ Harm Boundary
Cross-Domain Effect ≠ Same Harm by Default
Propagation Relationship ≠ Harm Identity Continuity
Propagation Detection ≠ Automatic Boundary Expansion
Accumulation ≠ Propagation
Compounding ≠ Propagation
Spread ≠ Cascade
Mechanism Termination ≠ Propagation Termination
Containment Initiated ≠ Propagation Stopped
Propagation Stopped ≠ Harm Ended
Observed Propagation ≠ Complete Propagation
Predicted Propagation ≠ Actual Propagation
Simulated Propagation ≠ Actual Propagation
Propagation ≠ Escalating State
- Canonical Boundary
The HPRM — Harm Propagation Module governs how an already governed Harm
materially extends into additional affected scope through direct,
indirect, multi-step, distributed, cross-domain, geographic,
organizational, infrastructural, environmental, or other materially
relevant propagation pathways. It governs Propagation Signals, origin,
pathway, scope, timing, velocity, magnitude, identity continuity, Boundary
interaction, uncertainty, cessation, and historical propagation
continuity. It does not determine whether Harm originally exists, perform
Recognition or Determination, independently redefine the Governed Harm
Boundary, classify or transition Harm State, govern additive Harm build-up
as Accumulation, govern interactive amplification as Compounding, govern
sequential downstream Harm formation as Cascading, perform Containment or
Mitigation, govern Recovery, Residual Harm, Resolution or Finality,
determine general causation, assign accountability or liability, or
replace operational reality, evidence, validation, integrity, prediction,
simulation, AI behavior, autonomous execution, identity, Value, tax-event,
or jurisdiction-specific governance.
- Canonical Closing Statement
Harm is not confined to the place where it began, the system that produced
it, or the subject first affected by it.
It may move through dependencies, networks, organizations, environments,
infrastructure, and domains long after the originating mechanism has
stopped.
HPRM keeps that spread governable while preserving the distinction between
expanded Harm, new downstream Harm, and the pathways connecting them.
Where Harm materially extends, governance must be capable of following it.