Feature Request: Keep and Export Full History of Edited Comments for Audit Purposes

Summary

As a GitLab user I need the platform to maintain a complete history of all comment edits, and have the ability to export them, to ensure we have a proper audit trail for regulatory and internal governance requirements.

Use Cases

• Regulatory Compliance: Meeting requirements for maintaining unaltered records of communications related to project decisions
• Internal Audits: Ability to review the evolution of discussions to understand decision-making processes
• Security Investigations: Identifying potentially malicious modifications to comments retroactively
• Legal Protection: Having verifiable records in case of disputes or legal proceedings

Proposed Implementation

The feature could be implemented as:

1. Visible Edit History: Add a dropdown or expandable section when clicking the "Edited" indicator that shows previous versions with timestamps
2. Export Capability: Create an easily exportable comment history within areas

Additional:

1. Retention Policy: Allow configurable retention periods for edit history aligned with organizational requirements
2. Pull all history of the MR via API

Business Value

This feature would:

• Reduce compliance risk for regulated industries (finance, healthcare, government)
• Provide greater transparency in project governance
• Enhance GitLab's suitability for enterprise environments with strict audit requirements
• Differentiate GitLab from competitors who lack robust audit capabilities

Where to start?

Start my implementing this solution in one area, like Merge Requests (which is directly tied to customer feedback), or implement in all areas comments are available at once.