---
title: The GDPR audit log
description: What the GDPR audit log records about personal data, how to read and filter it, and why it cannot be rewritten.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/governance-gdpr-audit-log/"
updated: "2026-11-05"
category: "Platform / Governance & security"
---

# The GDPR audit log

The GDPR audit log answers the first question of any inspection: what was done with personal data, by whom, when and about whom. It brings together in one place compliance actions, changes to retention periods, purges, reads of sensitive data and views of the list of all documents. It is intended for the DPO and administrators.

## Before you start

- You need the "GDPR audit log" permission (Data privacy (GDPR) › GDPR audit section of the role matrix) at the **Access** level: the log is read, never edited. You also need "Settings — Access".
- By default, only the Administrator role holds these permissions. For a DPO, grant them to their role in **Settings › Manage Employees › Employee Roles** (see [Permissions & roles](https://illizeo.com/en/docs-category/platform-en/platform-roles-permissions/)).

## Opening the log

Open **Settings › Manage Illizeo › GDPR Audit Log**. The page shows the most recent entries first, 50 per page.

![The GDPR audit log page: Register, From and To filters, then the table of entries with the When, Register, Event, By, Data subject and Details columns, each date followed by a green chained-entry dot](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/governance-gdpr-audit-log-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
Settings › Manage Illizeo › GDPR Audit Log.

## The five registers

| Register | What it records |
| --- | --- |
| GDPR actions | Exports and erasures of an employee's data; data subject requests (receipt, change, extension, closure, register export); data breaches (recorded, updated, closed); impact assessments (created, updated, validated, deleted); transfer destinations and their assessments; Flex Office visitor requests (viewed, data exported, anonymised). |
| Retention periods | Changes made to data retention periods, with their author. |
| Retention purges | Deletions carried out under those periods. They run automatically and appear under "System". |
| Sensitive reads | Every view of sensitive data: pay, bank details, AVS number, health data (sick leave, medical check-ups) and other special categories such as religious affiliation. The line says who read, about whom and which category, never the value read. |
| Views of “All documents” | Who browsed the list of all employee documents, and bulk downloads of documents as ZIP files. |

The registers themselves are kept elsewhere: breaches, data subject requests, impact assessments, transfers and retention periods are covered in [Security & compliance](https://illizeo.com/en/docs-category/platform-en/platform-security-sso/). The audit log keeps a trace of them.

## Reading an entry

| Column | Content |
| --- | --- |
| When | The date and time. A green dot marks a chained (tamper-evident) entry; hover over it to read the label. |
| Register | The register of the entry. |
| Event | The action: Data exported, Data erased, Breach recorded, DPIA validated, Read, Document list viewed, Documents exported as ZIP, Purge, etc. |
| By | The person who acted, or "System" for an automatic process. |
| Data subject | The employee whose data is concerned, when the entry relates to one. |
| Details | Useful details: category of data read, fields concerned, number of lines, title of an assessment, etc. |

The log contains no personal data values: it says who did what, never the content.

## Filtering

1. In **Register**, choose a register or leave **All registers**.
2. Limit the period with **From** and **To**.
3. The list updates straight away. Move between pages with **Previous** and **Next**; the footer shows the total number of entries.

![The Register list open: All registers, GDPR actions, Retention periods, Retention purges, Sensitive reads and Views of “All documents”](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/governance-gdpr-audit-log-02.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
Filtering by register.

## A log that cannot be rewritten

Each entry is chained to the previous one: it carries a fingerprint calculated from its content and from the fingerprint of the entry before. Changing or deleting an entry, even an old one, would break the chain and show.

- No screen allows an entry to be edited, deleted or added by hand: the log is read-only.
- Illizeo checks every day that the chain is intact. This check is not displayed in your space.
- Entries are not deleted by the retention period of the [user logs](https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/governance-user-logs/).

## Good to know

- The page offers no export.
- There is no filter on a person: to find an employee's entries, narrow the period and the register, then read the Data subject column.
- Some recent events are still shown under a technical name, for example `demande_droit.recue` for the receipt of a data subject request. Their name indicates the action.
- A view of “All documents” can concern several employees at once: the details say how many.

## FAQ

### How do I find out who viewed an employee's pay?

Choose the **Sensitive reads** register, narrow the period, then look for the lines whose data subject is that employee. The details show the category read.

### A purge appears "by System". Is that normal?

Yes. Purges run automatically, under the retention periods. The log keeps them precisely because no person started them.

### Can an entry made by mistake be deleted?

No. An audit trail that could be edited would prove nothing. If an action was made by mistake, the next action (an updated breach, a closed request) is recorded too.

### *Similaire*