GDPR: Achieving and Maintaining Regulation Adherence with Compliance for Confluence

For organisations looking to comply with GDPR in Confluence, our app Compliance for Confluence can assist you in either becoming or staying compliant in the various ways:

Compliance for Confluence can support your organization’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and Data Protection 2018 compliance by helping ensure that personal data stored or documented in Confluence is properly controlled, access is restricted, and actions are auditable. While it doesn't cover the entire regulation, it helps reinforce key accountability, transparency, and security principles where Confluence is used.

Requirement: Personal data must be adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary.

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Identifies and exports space- and page-level access permissions
Helps ensure that only authorized users can access spaces where personal data is stored or processed
Assists in applying the principle of least privilege to reduce exposure

Requirement: The controller shall be responsible for, and able to demonstrate, compliance.

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Tracks and logs changes to permissions and space configurations
Allows you to generate and export evidence of how Confluence data is secured
Supports internal audits by documenting who changed what and when

Requirement: Organizations must implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures.

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Provides visibility into security controls at the Confluence layer
Helps detect misconfigured access or overexposed data
Assists in documenting and enforcing appropriate access restrictions

Requirement: Data subjects have rights (e.g. to access, rectification, erasure, restriction).

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Helps you identify where personal data is stored in Confluence
Ensures access controls are in place, so only authorized teams handle data subject requests
Facilitates proof of policy enforcement and limited access to personal data

Requirement: Controllers must implement measures and maintain documentation demonstrating compliance.

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Supports secure documentation of GDPR-related policies and procedures in Confluence
Ensures those documents are access-controlled, and auditable
Enables evidence storage for DPIAs, training logs, and incident response steps

Requirement: Requires notification of personal data breaches within 72 hours.

How Compliance for Confluence helps:

Ensures clear ownership and responsibility are documented in Confluence
Access logs support incident investigations by identifying who had access to breached data
Helps document response processes and responsible roles

While Compliance for Confluence supports GDPR compliance only within the scope of Confluence. It does not:

Handle consent management or lawful basis tracking
Provide encryption or pseudonymization of content
Replace a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) process

Best Use Case
If your teams use Confluence to store personal data (e.g. HR records, client reports, customer communications) or to manage GDPR compliance documentation, Compliance helps you enforce privacy-by-design principles and demonstrate control over that environment.

Use Compliance to export Confluence access permissions.
Review and restrict access to Confluence spaces containing personal data.
Apply the principle of least privilege to all Confluence content.
Regularly audit user access and adjust as roles change.

Enable permission and configuration logging in Compliance for Confluence.
Export and store audit logs in a secure, read-only space.
Track all changes to Confluence space permissions and configurations.
Maintain logs as evidence of compliance and internal reviews.

Ensure that sensitive Confluence spaces have access restrictions in place.
Use Compliance for Confluence reports to detect misconfigured or excessive permissions.
Review space-level access controls on a scheduled basis.
Document security controls applied to Confluence data.

Maintain a Confluence page listing how data subject rights are fulfilled.
Ensure only authorized users can view or process personal data.
Link data subject request procedures to relevant teams in Confluence.
Document and version control subject access request (SAR) handling policies.

Store GDPR-related policies (e.g. retention, SAR handling, breach response) in Confluence.
Restrict editing of compliance policies to responsible personnel.
Use page versioning to track changes and approvals.
Link supporting documentation (e.g. training logs, DPIAs) for audit purposes.

Document a data breach response plan in Confluence.
Assign breach response roles and responsibilities on a dedicated page.
Use Compliance for Confluence logs to support breach investigations.
Record breach simulations or response tests in a secure Confluence space.

Train staff on secure use of Confluence with respect to personal data with an intuitive in-app interface.
Review data stored in Confluence to identify any personal or sensitive content using in-app detection tools.
Create an index of all spaces storing personal data.
Regularly review Confluence use to support GDPR compliance.

See our solutions in action today

For more information on the features and functionality included within Compliance for Confluence, take a look at our listing on the Atlassian Marketplace, with the option to see how our app works for yourself using a 30-day free trial.

GDPR Article 5(1)(c) — Access Control and Data Minimization

GDPR Article 5(2) — Accountability and Audit Logs

GDPR Article 32 — Data Security and Integrity

GDPR Articles 12–23 — Transparency and Data Subject Rights

GDPR Article 24 — Documentation of Policies and Procedures

GDPR Article 33 — Data Breach Preparedness

GDPR Confluence Documentation & Compliance Checklist

1. Access Control and Data Minimization (GDPR Article 5(1)(c))

2. Accountability and Audit Logs (GDPR Article 5(2))

3. Data Security and Integrity (GDPR Article 32)

4. Transparency and Data Subject Rights (GDPR Articles 12–23)

5. Documentation of Policies and Procedures (GDPR Article 24)

6. Data Breach Preparedness (GDPR Article 33)

7. General Practices