Mayoral candidates in Bogotá sign digital manifest

Mayoral candidates in Colombian capital Bogotá have signed a digital manifesto, laying the foundation for future interactions with citizens through social media, local paper El Espectador reported. Antanas Mockus considers social networks will be helpful in involving citizens and for accountability, as well does Carlos Galán, who is betting on social networks as a useful tool for security and for opening debates on issues relevant to citizens. In the meantime, Gina Parody sees social networks as a way to make politics more transparent. As such, she has promised to work to democratize access to internet, which she considers a public service. Parody has also called for creating a school specialized in ICT, as well as a technology hub. For his part, Gustavo Petro is pushing for democratized access to internet and working on what he calls a "2.0 government," while Aurelio Sánchez is planning to focus his policy on closing the digital divide. David Luna, on the other hand, is looking to encourage technology use and content generation, as well as finding a balance between the fight against piracy and freedom. Lastly, Jaime Castro has pledged an IT and social networks manager to guarantee universal access to internet. Bogotá's municipal elections will be held October 30.