China Cracks Whip on Government Social Media Image

China Cracks Whip on Government Social Media Image
Icons of WeChat and Weibo apps are seen on a smartphone on Dec. 5, 2013. Petar Kujundzic/Reuters
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BEIJING/SHANGHAI—China’s cabinet has warned government departments to clean up their social media image amid a drive to bolster the government’s online presence to help reach tech-savvy young people who get their information from smartphones.

The State Council issued the guidelines late on Dec. 27 saying that authorities’ social media presence needed more regulation and vowed to clean up dormant “zombie” accounts and “shocking” comment from official channels.