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PALO ALTO (CBS 5) ― You and your Facebook friends could unwittingly end up in an online ad, the Palo Alto-based social networking site acknowledged Friday.

Barry Schmidt, a Facebook spokesman said third party companies have have been using photos of Facebook users without their permission, and that his company is working to stop that kind of activity.

"It has happened that advertisers have misused photos and the ads have been removed and some entire ad networks have been removed," Barry Schnitt wrote CBS 5 in an email. "The rumor is that we changed our policy to allow this, when, in fact, we've done the opposite — cracked down."

Schnitt said the advertisers using the photos are not from Facebook, but from outside companies that employ "apps," or applications. Joining causes or becoming fans of public issues often are a result of apps.

"Even though these ads are not from Facebook, we are concerned about any potential threat to our users' experience," said Schnitt. "We prohibit ads on Platform that cause a bad user experience, are misleading, or otherwise violate our policies."

Facebook faced an uproar by users back in February when it tried to change its privacy policy regarding photos. The company eventually backed away from the privacy change, after a substantial public backlash.

In this case, Facebook faces another public relations issue, although it's not so clear whether any legal lines have been crossed.

"What Facebook is doing is not illegal, but is not going to get them on to anyone's Christmas list this year," said Melissa Griffin, a blogger, legal analyst and columnist for the San Francisco Examiner.

Griffin said when users join causes related to apps, they are hardly doing so in private.

"But, the fact that people aren't aware of the implications of that action is a problem," said Griffin. "People should just be careful about what public groups they join - lest they end up on an ad for "I love the Golden Girls."

Q and A with Barry Schnitt, Facebook Spokesman:

CBS 5: How prevalent was this misuse of photos?

Facebook: It was just a few ad networks that show ads on apps on Facebook Platform.

CBS 5: What constitutes a 'misuse?' The fact is, when users are on Facebook they have virtually no expectation of privacy … but you also don't expect you'll end up in an ad. Where is the line?

Facebook: I disagree with your first assertion. By default, users profile and content is only available to their friends. There is lots of data that shows people come to Facebook because there is an expectation of control of their information. They can and do decide exactly with whom to share information. On Facebook, you should expect to have control of your information. For example, social ads has an opt out.

CBS 5: To what extent are you cracking down? Do you kick the developers off for a finite period?

Facebook: We have warned some developers and ad networks and made sure they are no longer doing this. The ad networks that were banned are off indefinitely.

CBS 5: In the chain post that I've seen, it suggests you reset your privacy settings. Is that part of the message accurate?

Facebook: That controls the ads on Facebook. The ads that prompted this were from developers and we've stopped them from doing this.

CBS 5: What's your message to our viewers if they are confused by this process?

Facebook: Facebook hasn't changed any policies. We don't sell user information or content to advertisers. These ads were an aberration from third parties that violated our policies, which was handled very quickly.

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