No More Selfies at the White House After Samsung Stunt?

The practice of taking selfies may be banned from the White House after U.S. President Barack Obama took exception to Samsung advertising stunts involving self-directed snaps.

White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday a Samsung attempt to advertise its phones with a selfie snapped with baseball star David Ortiz with Obama could be "the end of all selfies."

"Someone who uses the president's likeness to promote a product... that's a problem with the White House," Pfeiffer said. He added lawyers have taken up the issue with Samsung, he added. He did not reveal the details but the White House reportedly expressed concerns to Samsung about David Ortiz's selfie.

During a visit to the White House on April 1, Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, the 2013 World Series Champion, took a selfie with Obama and posted the photo on Twitter. Samsung retweeted it to its 5.2 million followers, claiming the baseball player used the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone.

The question arose whether Ortiz had been put up to it by the Korean electronics maker under a recent sponsorship deal.

White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Thursday, "The White House objects to attempts to use the president's likeness for commercial purposes." Ortiz insists the selfie was not a marketing stunt or pre-planned, but the controversy is refusing to subside.

Read this article in Korean