The Shanghai Municipal Government will improve the openness of information sharing by implementing newly revised regulations from May 1, an official said yesterday.

The new regulations require vital information pertaining to citizens, judicial persons or organizations. The functions and procedures of different institutions, laws and regulations are also on the publicity list.

The administration will not allow state and business secrets to become public and safeguard individual privacy.

The new regulations ensure the public access to government information by websites, national archives, public libraries or government bulletins. The rules also stipulate the administration to offer consultations to applicants for open information.

A follow-up supervision mechanism has also been set up to improve the transparency of information.