havekeep

Havekeep is a term found in speculative discussions and some hobbyist projects to describe a system or principle concerning the retention and ownership of items or data. It is not widely adopted as a formal concept in established disciplines.

The etymology combines have and keep, implying an emphasis on possession and preservation. The term often appears in online forums, fan fiction, and small-scale software experiments rather than in peer-reviewed literature. Because of its varied usage, the exact scope of havekeep is context-dependent.

In fiction, havekeep may refer to a secure repository that stores a character's memories, artifacts, or social contracts, serving as a plot device to regulate what is accessible to whom. In technology or software development, some projects use havekeep to describe patterns where applications ensure user data remains under user control and is not permanently relinquished by service providers; implementations are typically ad hoc and not standardized.

The term lacks a formal definition and is primarily encountered in informal or speculative contexts. See also data ownership, personal data vaults, digital archiving, and knowledge management.