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GForms GDPR Clause Generator — User Guide

What is this?​

The GDPR Clause Generator automatically adds the correct legal consent and information clauses to your Google Forms, based on the processing activity registered in your ROPA.

You answer a short questionnaire about the form (Is it anonymous? Does it collect health data? etc.) and the tool generates the exact checkbox items required by GDPR Art. 9 and Art. 13, pre-filled with your organisation's official ROPA text.

There are two ways to use it:

  • Web page — log in at https://<yourorg>.rat.gd/<locale>/gforms, fill the questionnaire, copy the generated text or click Add to Google Form to insert it directly.
  • Google Forms add-on — open the sidebar from inside Google Forms, fill the questionnaire, and the items are inserted into the form automatically.

Web Page​

Step 1 — Open the page​

Navigate to https://<yourorg>.rat.gd/<locale>/gforms (replace <locale> with en, ca, es, etc.).

You must be signed in to your ROPA account. If you are not, you will be redirected to the sign-in page.

Step 2 — Pick your organisation and language (if needed)​

If your account has access to more than one organisation, an organisation picker appears first. Select the correct one.

If your organisation has more than one language configured in the ROPA, a language dropdown appears. Select the language that matches the form.

Step 3 — Fill the questionnaire​

QuestionAnswer
Is the form fully anonymous?Yes — respondents cannot be identified at all. No — names, emails, or other identifying data are collected.
Can responses indirectly identify participants? (only shown when anonymous = Yes)Yes — even without direct identifiers, combining responses could identify someone. No — truly anonymous.
Special categories of personal dataCheck every category that the form collects: ethnic/racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, genetic or biometric data, health information, sexual life/orientation, international transfers, communication to third parties. Leave unchecked if none apply.
Processing activitySelect the ROPA activity this form belongs to. The list comes from your ROPA.

Step 4 — Generate​

Click Generate.

If no clause is needed (form is fully anonymous and non-identifying), a message confirms that no GDPR clause is required — you are done.

If a clause is required, two text sections appear:

  • Consent clause — a checkbox item listing the special-category consent items (only shown if at least one category was checked).
  • Information clause — a required checkbox item with the Art. 13 text and a link to the activity's public ROPA page.

Step 5 — Copy or add to the form​

Each section has a copy button. Use it to paste the text manually into your form.

If the Add to Google Form section appears (requires Google OAuth to be configured — see your administrator), you can also:

  1. Paste the Google Form URL or ID into the field.
  2. Click Add to Google Form.
  3. A Google sign-in popup will appear and ask for permission to edit the form.
  4. After authorising, the two checkbox items are inserted directly at the top of the form.

Google Forms Add-on​

Opening the sidebar​

Open any Google Form. From the top menu choose Extensions → GDPR Clause Generator → Obre (or the equivalent label if translated).

The sidebar loads in the language configured as your organisation's default locale and fetches the list of processing activities from your ROPA.

Changing the language​

Use the Language dropdown at the top of the sidebar. The entire UI — labels, questions, and activity list — updates immediately to the selected language. The generated clause will also be in that language.

Selecting your organisation (multi-org accounts)​

If your account belongs to more than one organisation, an Organisation picker appears before the activity list. Select the organisation whose ROPA covers this form; the language options and activity list will update accordingly.

Filling the questionnaire​

The questionnaire is the same as the web page (anonymous?, indirect?, special categories, activity). Select your answers and click Generate.

What happens next​

The add-on:

  1. Removes any GDPR clause items previously added to this form.
  2. Inserts the new consent checkbox (if special categories were selected).
  3. Inserts the required Art. 13 information checkbox.
  4. Sends you a summary email and logs the action.

The No-Clause Rule​

GDPR consent clauses are only required when the form collects identifiable personal data.

AnonymousIndirectClause needed?
YesNo (or not answered)No
YesYesYes
No(any)Yes

Clause Content​

The generated text comes directly from the translations configured in your ROPA (messages/{locale}.json, gforms namespace). If a clause appears in the wrong language or with incorrect legal wording, contact your ROPA administrator to update the translations.

The information clause always contains a link to the activity's public ROPA page (e.g. https://myorg.rat.gd/en/v/42). Make sure the activity is published and the URL is accessible before distributing the form.

Troubleshooting​

SymptomLikely cause
Redirected to sign-in on the web pageSession expired — sign in again.
No activities in the dropdownNo ROPA activities are configured for the selected locale. Contact your ROPA administrator.
Sidebar labels do not change when I switch languageThe ROPA server may be temporarily unavailable. Close and reopen the sidebar.
Sidebar fails to open entirelyThe ROPA API could not be reached, or your Google account is not linked to any organisation. Contact your ROPA administrator.
"Add to Google Form" section is not visibleThe Google OAuth client ID is not configured. Contact your ROPA administrator.
Clause text is in the wrong languageThe gforms translations for that locale may not have been updated. Contact your ROPA administrator.