#Folksonomies: the next step forward to transparency?

In this paper, I offer a theoretical perspective on the application of collective tagging system to the field of legal information management. I discuss the hypothesis that folksonomies could be a useful tool to increase the transparency of the legal system. The essay can be divided in three main parts. In the first section, I introduce the issue of transparency in the context of the legal system through an overview of different opinions outlined by contemporary legal philosophy, thereby confirming the overall formalistic perspective. In the second part, I show how transparency may correspond to the concept of “data sharing” that is achieved in the «many to many» communication through the Internet. In the third part, I analyse the collective tagging system after identifying the key element of Web 2.0 in the sharing of metadata, providing the definition of folksonomies and describing some features of its possible application to legal information management. In conclusion, I suggest that folksonomies could improve legal information management through Internet.