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Michelle Obama lifts the 40-year ban on White House tour photos

Michelle Obama lifts the 40-year ban on White House tour photos

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Small cameras, phones, and social media are now allowed

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The secret service can no longer stop you from taking a selfie, because the White House has lifted the 40-year-old photo and camera ban on its tours.

The decision was announced in a memo this morning, and Michelle Obama posted a video to her various social media accounts in which she tears one of the White House's "no photos or social media allowed" signs in half. "Effective today, guests are now welcome to take photos throughout the White House tour route and keep those memories for a lifetime," the memo reads.

There are still, of course, many restrictions. Visitors can only use phones or compact cameras with lenses that don't exceed 3 inches. All other photography equipment is still banned, too. You're not allowed to use tablets, video cameras (including action cameras), cameras with interchangeable lenses, tripods or monopods, or selfie sticks, which the White House refers to as "camera sticks." The memo also says that flash photography and livestreaming aren't welcome, either.

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