The authorities of a democratic state must ensure that democracy works. For democracy to function properly, citizens must have access to information. Information in the field of law, for instance, the law code and government regulations, is of vital importance to the citizen. Other information, e.g., on rights and obligations concerning health and education, are also important. The authorities must guarantee that the information is available and accessible.
Information technology gives the authorities a very powerful tool to strengthen the rule of law.
Information technology, however, does not change fundamental principles of law and ethics. Information technology offers vast new possibilities in the gathering, editing, publishing and distribution of information in an electronic format as well as new possibilities in communications. Updating of information is faster and easier than before. Information can be made more accessible by providing the user with search facilities, i.e., searches by words or categories. Appropriate interfaces make information retrieval much more user-friendly than before.