Google Nest cameras may scan bystanders' faces without consent. Carey Danis & Lowe is investigating claims for anyone affected nationwide.
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Class Action
Smart doorbells and outdoor security cameras are marketed as a way to protect your home. But investigation suggests that some of the most popular systems on the market are doing something no homeowner — and certainly no passerby — was ever told about: scanning the face of every person who walks by, building a permanent digital map of that person’s facial geometry, and storing it, all without that person’s knowledge or consent. Carey & Danis is investigating potential claims on behalf of anyone in the United States (other than Illinois) whose face may have been captured this way. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this page.
Some of the best-selling video doorbells and outdoor security cameras now include a paid AI feature — often sold under a name like “Familiar Face Detection” — that is supposed to help homeowners tell a family member from a stranger. To make that work, the system doesn’t just recognize people the owner already knows. It has to scan every face that enters the camera’s field of view, measure the geometric relationships between that person’s features — the distance between the eyes, the shape of the cheekbones, the contour of the jawline — and convert those measurements into a unique digital “faceprint.” Some versions of the technology go further, layering in non-biometric details like body size and clothing color so a person can still be re-identified even when their face is partly hidden.
That faceprint is then filed away in a library tied to the camera owner’s account, ready to be compared against every future face the camera sees.
The people at the center of this issue are not the customers who bought the cameras. They’re the bystanders those cameras watch — neighbors, houseguests, delivery drivers, trick-or-treaters, and children who simply walk down a sidewalk or up to a front door. They never saw a consent screen, because there has never been a consent screen built for a bystander. A device owner can agree to a company’s terms of service. The stranger whose face is being measured on the sidewalk cannot, and is never given the chance.
To attorneys investigating this practice, that pattern matters. A company that builds a feature capable of being switched off by geography, and switches it off in exactly the places with the toughest biometric privacy statutes, has effectively mapped out where it believes the conduct is legally risky — while continuing to run it everywhere the law is untested. Multiple class action lawsuits have already been filed in federal court raising exactly this theory, and the number of affected people is enormous: these camera systems number in the tens of millions nationwide, and the class of people who have simply walked, worked, or lived near one is potentially just about everyone.
You do not need to own one of these cameras, subscribe to the paid facial-recognition feature, or have any relationship at all with the company that makes it. You may have a potential claim if:
Because these cameras give no visible notice, indicator, or opt-out to the people they scan, most affected individuals have no way of independently confirming they were captured. That is exactly why a free case review matters — we can help you understand whether your circumstances fit the pattern this litigation is built around.
Depending on where you live and the specific facts of your situation, you may be entitled to:
No outcome or specific dollar recovery can be guaranteed, and cases like this are still developing — but there is no fee unless we win, so there is no financial risk in finding out whether you qualify.
⚠ Time-Sensitive: Deadlines Apply
Statutes of limitations vary by state and by claim type, and in privacy cases like this one they can be shorter than people expect. Deadlines vary by state. Contact us immediately to find out how much time you have. Do not wait — contact Carey Danis & Lowe today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. There is no fee unless we win.
What is “Familiar Face Detection,” and how does it collect my biometric data?
It’s a paid feature on certain smart doorbell and security camera systems that uses artificial intelligence to scan every face that enters the camera’s view. The system measures the geometry of each face — the distance between the eyes, the shape of the cheekbones, the contour of the jawline — and converts those measurements into a unique digital faceprint that can be stored and compared against other faces later.
Do I need to own one of these cameras to have a claim?
No. The people at the center of this investigation are not customers — they’re bystanders. If you’ve walked past, visited, delivered to, or lived near a home or business with one of these cameras installed, your face may have been scanned and stored even though you never bought the device, opened an app, or agreed to any terms of service.
How would I even know if my face was scanned by someone else’s doorbell?
In most cases, you wouldn’t. These systems are designed to work invisibly — there’s no light, sound, or on-screen notice for a passerby. That’s part of what makes this practice legally significant: the company operating the camera can typically determine which devices scanned which faces, while the person who was scanned often has no way to find out on their own.
Can my child’s facial data be part of a claim if he or she was scanned?
Potentially, yes. These systems generally scan every face that enters a camera’s field of view, including children, without any mechanism to identify, exclude, or obtain parental consent for minors. If your child regularly walks, plays, or is otherwise present in a neighborhood with these cameras, their facial data may have been captured as well.
Isn’t this the same law behind the billion-dollar biometric privacy settlements I’ve heard about?
It’s related, but not identical. Illinois’s biometric privacy law is the one behind those record settlements, and at least one major camera manufacturer has disabled this facial-recognition feature in Illinois specifically — while leaving it running in nearly every other state. That decision is a central part of the legal theory driving current litigation nationwide.
What compensation might be available if I qualify?
Depending on your state and the specific facts of your situation, you may be entitled to compensatory damages for the unauthorized collection and use of your biometric data, and in some cases punitive damages if the conduct is shown to be knowing or intentional. Injunctive relief — such as requiring deletion of stored data or clearer notice to bystanders — may also be available.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Deadlines vary significantly by state and by the specific legal claims involved, and they can be shorter than people expect. The safest step is to contact us as soon as possible for a free review so we can tell you exactly where you stand.
Carey & Danis has spent decades representing consumers in complex class action and privacy litigation against some of the largest companies in the country. Biometric and data-privacy cases move quickly, involve technical evidence, and require counsel who can hold sophisticated corporate defendants accountable for practices they built to go unnoticed. We investigate these claims on a contingency-fee basis — there is no fee unless we win — and a free case evaluation costs you nothing. If you believe your face may have been scanned without your knowledge, reach out today.
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