Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026)

Research Article

China’s Open Government Data: A Legal Perspective

Published 2026-03-31

  • Layton Ren
    • ,
  • Fei-hung Yu

Layton Ren
shandong university school of law

Fei-hung Yu


Abstract

This article focuses on an innovative system in China’s digital government construction from a legal perspective, called open government data. This system can improve government administrative efficiency and promote the use of data to expand the data factor market. However, in practice, the indiscriminate use of the concepts of open government data (OGD) and government information disclosure (GID), as well as legal problems such as the direct transplantation of existing systems, seriously hinder the effective advancement of OGD. To explore current status of OGD practices, this article selects 4,629 judicial documents of litigation related to GID and 4 types of indexes about OGD platforms as empirical analysis samples, aiming to clarify meanings and relationships between two concepts at the legal level. A deep analysis of these samples reveals litigation dilemma, platform development dilemma, and legal dilemma in the process of OGD. In response, this article proposes some measures including regulating OGD through separate law, replacing the three-tier system with the three-tier & dual system, and establishing the collaborative rights protection system. In this way, the ultimately goal that promoting the efficient and orderly advancement of OGD will be achieved.

Keywords

Open government data (OGD), Government information disclosure (GID), Concept clarification, Regulation improvement, Rights protection

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References

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