diff --git a/Lib/platform.py b/Lib/platform.py
index d20c39d9a7c..e94a32aab78 100755
--- a/Lib/platform.py
+++ b/Lib/platform.py
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ __copyright__ = """
 
 __version__ = '1.0.7'
 
-import sys,string,os,re
+import sys,string,os,re,subprocess
 
 ### Globals & Constants
 
@@ -1023,13 +1023,16 @@ def _syscmd_file(target,default=''):
     if sys.platform in ('dos','win32','win16','os2'):
         # XXX Others too ?
         return default
-    target = _follow_symlinks(target).replace('"', '\\"')
+    target = _follow_symlinks(target)
     try:
-        f = os.popen('file "%s" 2> %s' % (target, DEV_NULL))
+        with open(DEV_NULL) as dev_null:
+            proc = subprocess.Popen(['file', '-b', '--', target],
+                    stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=dev_null)
+
     except (AttributeError,os.error):
         return default
-    output = string.strip(f.read())
-    rc = f.close()
+    output = proc.stdout.read()
+    rc = proc.wait()
     if not output or rc:
         return default
     else:
diff --git a/Misc/ACKS b/Misc/ACKS
index b6d375c2093..39bd45040cc 100644
--- a/Misc/ACKS
+++ b/Misc/ACKS
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ Reimer Behrends
 Ben Bell
 Thomas Bellman
 Alexander “Саша” Belopolsky
+David Benjamin
 Andrew Bennetts
 Andy Bensky
 Bennett Benson
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index a02c07393cd..36033eab00d 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -143,6 +143,9 @@ Library
   io.BytesIO and io.StringIO objects now raise ValueError when the object has
   been closed.  Patch by Alessandro Moura.
 
+- Issue #16112: platform.architecture does not correctly escape argument to
+  /usr/bin/file.  Patch by David Benjamin.
+
 - Issue #12776,#11839: call argparse type function (specified by add_argument)
   only once. Before, the type function was called twice in the case where the
   default was specified and the argument was given as well.  This was