Permission Standardization Across the OneTrust Platform
As part of our ongoing commitment to improving platform usability and administrative efficiency, OneTrust is implementing a series of permission standardization changes across the entire platform. These changes are being introduced incrementally and are designed to enhance clarity, reduce complexity in role management, and ensure more granular control over user access.
These changes began rolling out with the OneTrust 202506.1.0 release and will continue to be implemented across the platform in future releases. These updates affect how permissions are named, structured, and linked, and are especially relevant for Site Admins managing custom roles and access configurations.
What to Expect
As permission standardization progresses across the OneTrust Platform, you can expect a series of structural and naming updates that will impact how permissions are presented and managed. Below is a breakdown of the types of changes you may encounter:
- New Permissions - Existing Functionality
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: As part of the standardization effort, new permissions may be introduced to govern functionality that previously fell under broader or less clearly defined permissions. These additions are intended to improve granularity and give administrators more precise control over specific actions within the platform. While the functionality itself is not new, the introduction of distinct permissions allows for better alignment between user responsibilities and access levels. Administrators should review newly added permissions during role configuration to ensure appropriate access is maintained.
- Renamed Permission Names
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: Permission names will be updated to provide clearer descriptions of the actions they control. This change improves clarity and helps administrators better understand the scope of each permission when creating or editing roles. Updated names will be visible in the permissions list and in the Permission Name column of role exports.
- Renamed Permission Keys
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: Permission keys will be renamed for improved clarity and granularity. These updates align with the renamed permission names and will be visible in the Permission Key column of role exports.
- Split Permissions
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: Some permissions will be split to provide more granular control over user access. Where a single permission previously governed multiple levels of functionality or visibility, it may now be divided into distinct permissions that separately manage more granular access. This change allows admins to tailor roles more precisely to user needs, ensuring that users only receive the level of access appropriate to their responsibilities.
- Merged Permissions
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: Certain permissions will be merged to streamline permission management and reduce redundancy. This means that two or more permissions that previously controlled similar or overlapping functionality may now be consolidated into a single, unified permission. This is utilized rarely and only if there was existing overlap or redundancy in permissions. Merged permissions will continue to provide the same level of access but with fewer individual permission entries to manage.
- Linked Permissions
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: Permissions will be intelligently linked to reflect dependencies between functionalities. When a permission is added or removed, related permissions may be automatically adjusted to maintain consistency and reduce manual configuration effort. For more information, seeUnderstanding Linked Permissions.
- Removed Permissions
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: Some permissions may be removed either entirely from the OneTrust Platform or from specific system roles. Permissions removed from the platform typically reflect deprecated functionality or consolidation into other permissions. In cases where permissions are removed from system roles, the change is intended to better align default role configurations with current best practices and usage patterns. Administrators should review role definitions after each release to ensure that any removed permissions do not unintentionally impact user access or workflows.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The following responses are supported solutions to frequently asked questions (FAQ) on permission standardization across the OneTrust Platform. The OneTrust team continuously monitors these inquiries and will make additional FAQ available as they are identified.
Will these changes affect existing roles?
Yes. Existing roles may or may not be updated automatically to reflect new permissions for existing functionality and linked, merged, or split permissions. We recommend reviewing your role configurations as permission standardization changes are announced in release notes to ensure they align with your intended access controls.
How can I see which permissions are linked?
Linked permissions can be viewed by clicking the View linked permissions link in the Role Summary when editing or reviewing a role. For more information, see Understanding Linked Permissions.
What happens to users who had a merged or split permission?
Users will retain access based on the updated permission structure. For merged permissions, access will be preserved under the new unified permission. For split permissions, users who had the previous permission will usually get all of the more granular permissions. New custom roles can be made with the more granular permissions.
Will these changes apply to all products?
Permission standardization is being rolled out incrementally across releases for the entire OneTrust Platform. Future releases will continue to apply these updates to additional products.