Issue-by-issue: parties' tech policies compared
Summary: Tech election 2010: having spoken to a range of political parties, ZDNet UK lines up their tech policies on the key issues for a side-by-side view
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TECHNOLOGY'S ROLE IN GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC INTERACTION
Labour: wants to make a vast amount of public data available in a form that can be easily interrogated; wants to put public services online with a view to eventually withdrawing offline access to some services.
Conservatives: want to put all major government spending details online; want to create a new "right to government data".
Liberal Democrats: want to make it easier for people to access public services online.
Green Party: says the internet has a major part to play in making information more accessible.
Pirate Party UK: wants all government data made public; would support right of whistleblowers and other critics of government policy to voice concerns online.
UKIP: wants to use technology to let citizens engage in the democratic process; proposes national and local referenda building on the Number 10 e-petitions model.
BNP: would give citizens the right to challenge personal data held by the state and private agencies such as credit bureaus.
SNP: says Scottish government has led the way on transparency through technology; acknowledges that personal interaction is preferable to online services for some citizens.
Plaid Cymru: points out that the Welsh National Assembly already has computers to let members talk to constituents during debates.
Photo credit: BISgovUK
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