How facial recognition technology is redefining public privacy

The rapid proliferation of doorbell cameras and AI-powered facial recognition tools like Clearview AI has effectively eliminated public anonymity, aiding law enforcement in solving crimes while raising significant civil liberty concerns.
Posted 2/12/2026, 12:36:49 AM Updated 2/12/2026, 1:00:07 AM

>> WORKERS COMP.

LET'S TALK ABOUT DOORBELL.

CAMERAS WILL BE SEEING A LOT

OF THEM AROUND TO DO WE?

>> DO WE LOVE THEM? WE HATE

THEM. DO WE DO? WE NEED THEM.

SO RING. THEY RAN THE SUPER

BOWL AD FOR ITS DOORBELL CAMERA

FEATURES A LITTLE FEATURE ON

THERE THAT CAN HELP FIND

MISSING DOGS. AND IT REMINDED

PEOPLE THAT THEY ARE ALWAYS

RECORDING ALWAYS.

>> GOT PEOPLE THINKING A LOT

LESS ABOUT POOCHES AND MORE

ABOUT PRIVACY.

>> IT'S JUST LIKE ALEXA AND

THAT SHE'S RECORDING ALL THE

TIME. ALL RIGHT. BECAUSE SHE

IS LISTENING FOR YOU TO SAY

HER NAME. SO A LOT OF THESE

CAMERAS ARE SET TO RECORD A

MOTION OR AT LEAST TO MARK THE

MOTION IN THE VIDEO AND TO DO

THAT, THEY HAVE TO BE RECORDING

ALL THE TIME.

>> THEY'RE ON. THEY'RE ALWAYS

ON THAT AGAIN IS NOT EXACTLY

WHY WE BOUGHT THEM. THE

DOORBELL CAMERAS RIGHT? IT'S

WHY WE ABLE TO GET THESE

PICTURES AND THE VIDEOS OF THE

SUSPECT IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF

NANCY GUTHRIE. A STORY THAT'S

CAPTIVATED AND

>> CONFUSED DID NATION HER

DOORBELL CAMERA CAPTURED THESE

AND NOW THEY ARE AT THE CENTER

OF THAT CASE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE

AN OPINION ON THIS SORT OF

THING. IT DOESN'T MATTER TO

YOU, BUT YOU SHOULD. I'M HOPING

A VIEWER NAMED BRANDY IS

WATCHING BECAUSE SHE SENT ME

THIS LAST NIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED

TO DAN SEGMENT IN DEPTH WITH

DAN HAGGERTY. THIS WAS ALWAYS

SUCH AN INFORMATIVE SEGMENT.

PLEASE TELL ME IT WAS JUST A

LITTLE HIATUS AND WE'VE IT WILL

BE BACK SOON. WELL, BRANDY.

THIS ONE'S FOR YOU.

>> CAMERAS ARE EVERYWHERE AND

THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE THERE IN

YOUR PHONE'S OUTSIDE YOUR HOMES

INSIDE YOUR HOMES AT GAS

STATIONS, PARKING DECKS AND

ELEVATORS. CARS, SCHOOL

STADIUMS IN GROCERY STORES.

THERE.

>> AT YOUR WORK AND ON YOUR

DRIVE HOME IN CASES LIKE NANCY

GUTHRIE IN THAT STORY. THEY

DO GREAT THINGS THEY CAN HELP

SOLVE CRIMES. AND FOR THOSE OF

YOU WHO MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT

MORE RELUCTANT TO TRUST THESE

THINGS, YOU GET WORRIED ABOUT

THE LAST DOG FEATURE. I HATE TO

TELL YOU, BUT THAT CAT IS

ALREADY OUT OF THE BAG. THAT

DOG IS OUT OF THE BAG OR

WHATEVER ANIMAL YOU WANT TO BE

OUT OF THE BACK WITH TODAY'S

TECH, YOUR FACE IS NOT ENTIRELY

BELONG TO YOU. IT'S PART OF A

PUBLIC DOMAIN AND COMPANIES

ARE USING IT TO FIND AND

PROFILE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF

US, THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS

IS A COMPANY CALLED CLEARVIEW

AI. THEY SCRUB THE PUBLIC

INTERNET. FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM.

GOOGLE WON EVERYTHING IN

BETWEEN AND THEY CAN FIND YOUR

FACE AMONG BILLIONS OF

PICTURES. THE CEO DID A

DEMONSTRATION WITH A JOURNALIST

FROM CNN. THEY UPLOADED HIS

PHOTO AND SHOW THEM HOW IT

WORKED.

GO TO WOW. OH, MY GUYS. IS

THAT? YEAH, I IS ME THAT I LOOK

LIKE HERE. THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE

YOUNGER.

>> WOW.

SO WHAT'S RIGHT? CAN YOU PUT

INTO YOUR? SO I DON'T REALLY

LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT RIGHT NOW.

YOU CAN COMPARE THE PHOTOS IF

YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO HAVE THE,

YOU KNOW. SO THIS THIS

PHOTOGRAPH IS FROM. MY LOCAL

NEWSPAPER. I LIVED IN IRELAND

AND THIS PHOTO HAVE BEEN TAKEN

WHEN I'M I WAS LIKE 16.

>> WHETHER YOU'RE YOUNG OR

YOU'RE OLD THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL

FIND YOU AND IT EVEN WORKS.

IF THE PHOTO IS USING IN BASING

IT ON IS AWFUL. HERE'S A CLIP.

ANOTHER ONE FROM THE BEEB.

THIS WAS FROM THE BBC WHEN THEY

DID A SIMILAR STORY.

>> THEY ROUND OF SUCH THIS

IMAGE FROM THE POLICE BODY CAM

FOOTAGE USING ARTIFICIAL

INTELLIGENCE.

>> IT'S A I POPPED UP IN THE

LAKE 3 TO $0.5. I WAS JUST.

PICTURES AS POPPING A PILL.

YOU ARE LIKE POP UP HERE IS

THIS IS THE GUY. THOSE HAVE

EVERYONE. SO IT WAS JUST WILD.

IT WAS WILD. IT WAS LIKE

HITTING THE LOTTERY. SO CLEAR

VIEW, OBVIOUSLY THAT

THIS TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE WANT TO

LIKE THE FBI HAVE CONTRACTS

WITH THEM. AIR FORCE ARMY,

HOMELAND SECURITY AND POLICE

DEPARTMENTS. IN FACT, WHEN

THEIR CLIENT LISTS GOT HACKED

AND LEAKED IN 2021, WE LEARNED.

>> THEY WORK WITH RALEIGH, CARY

AND FAYETTEVILLE, RALEIGH AND

CARY. BOTH SAY THEY NO LONGER

USE THAT TECHNOLOGY, BUT JUST

SO YOU ARE KEEPING UP HERE.

THEY CAN FIND YOUR PICTURE

ANYWHERE ONLINE, EVEN IF YOU

DIDN'T TAKE IT, EVEN IF IT'S

FOR THE PEOPLE YOU YOU DON'T

EVEN KNOW YOU COULD BE IN THE

BACKGROUND. YOU COULD BE IN THE

CROWD SOMEWHERE ANYWHERE IN

THIS PROGRAM CAN FIND YOUR

PHOTO. THAT MEANS IF THERE ARE

PICTURES OF YOU ANYWHERE

ONLINE, YOU ARE IN CLEAR VIEWS

DATABASE RIGHT NOW, EVEN YOUR

KIDS. AND I'M BETTING THAT

ALMOST EVERY SINGLE PERSON

WATCHING THIS, IT IS AMAZING

TACK AND YES, IT CAN HELP CATCH

THE BAD GUYS. BUT THE CONCEPT

STILL MAKES PEOPLE A LITTLE

UNEASY CITIES AND STATES ACROSS

THE COUNTRY HAVE STARTED

PASSING LAWS ESTABLISHING

GUARDRAIL. SAN FRANCISCO,

OAKLAND, BOSTON, JUST TO NAME

A FEW THE EU. THEY PASSED A

HUGE BIT OF LEGISLATION ON THIS

IN 2023 MUCH AS FOR CLEARVIEW.

BUT FOR ANY COMPANY WITH THE

SIMILAR AI TOOLS AND THINK

ABOUT IT. EVERY PICTURE THAT

YOU TAKE MOST IS PROBABLY ON

THE PHONE, RIGHT? AN IPHONE

THAT GOES INTO THE CLOUD THAT

STICK WITH APPLE. EVERY APP

THAT YOU THEN GRANT ACCESS TO

THAT ROLE OF PHOTOS. THEY GET

THOSE PICTURES TO INSTAGRAM,

FACEBOOK TIKTOK CHATGPT, ALL

OF THEM AND THE ONLY THING

KEEPING THOSE COMPANIES FROM

ABUSING THAT DATA, IT IS GOOD

FAITH. IT IS NOT JUST TECH

COMPANIES. NEW YORK TIMES

REPORTER KASHMIR HILL REPORTED

A PERSONAL STORY. SHE WENT TO

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN WITH A

FRIEND TO SEE THE KNICKS PLAY.

BUT SECURITY STOPPED THEM

PERMISSION AS WE WE'RE

COLLECTING AIRBAGS. A SECURITY

GUARD CAME OVER AND PULLED THIS

PERSONAL INJURY. ATTORNEY

ASIDE, ANY SAID.

>> YOU KNOW, YOU'VE YOU'VE BEEN

FLAGGED. WE USE OF FACE

RECOGNITION SYSTEM HERE AND

MY MANAGERS CAN I COME OVER AND

HE'S GONNA NEED TO TALK TO YOU.

AND THIS ATTORNEY WAS ONE OF

THOUSANDS OF ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE

BEEN PLACED ON A ON A BANNED

LIST AND HAS SINCE QUIT GARDEN

ENFORCED WITH A SURVEY

COMMISSIONED TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE

SHE WORKS AT A FIRM THAT HAS A

CASE AGAINST THE COMPANY.

>> SO THIS IS KIND OF THE NEW

NORM. I MEAN, THIS IS THIS IS

HERE. THIS TECH IS HERE.

IT IS CHEAP AND IT IS

EVERYWHERE. WE TOLD YOU LAST

MONTH THAT WEGMANS ANNOUNCED

ITS SCANNING YOUR FACE AT SOME

STORES. WALMART HARRIS TEETER,

HOME DEPOT. THEY REPORTED THAT

THEY ARE DOING THE SAME.

YOU MAY SAY THEY'RE JUST

LOOKING FOR A REPEAT

SHOPLIFTERS. BUT THAT TAKES

THAT TAKES SOME TRUST TO SAY

THAT THEY'RE JUST DOING THAT.

DO YOU? DO YOU TRUST THESE

COMPANIES WITH THIS KIND OF

POWER OR, YOU KNOW, DO YOU

THINK, HEY, IT'S GOT NOTHING TO

HIDE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY

ABOUT ANY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE

AND FOR THEM.

>> I'M WONDERING WHAT IS THE

LIMIT TO THAT RUSSIA NOW?

WHERE IS YOUR LINE ON PRIVACY?

EMAIL U.S.. 07:00PM AT WRAL DOT

COM. THIS IS THE TYPE OF THING

WE LIKE TALKING ABOUT HERE AT 7

O'CLOCK. WE WANT TO HAVE

CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS.

TALK ABOUT THE NEWS STORIES

THAT YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT.

SO SEND US AN E-MAIL. TELL US

WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND AND