tonight on "nightline," who's watching you? cameras, cameras everywhere. and voyeurs getting iowa with it. from dressing rooms to tanning beds to public restrooms. the shocking places you don't know you're being filmed, while the law lets it happen. plus, what janet knows. with words of caution as her niece paris steps into the limelight, janet jackson opens up about the pitfalls of young fame and the insecurities that still haunt her. the last word. with the presidential primaries about to begin, barbara walters asks president obama about his prospects. and it's the last debate before iowa wraps up. a brief history about the loungest, possibly weirdest set

of republican debates ever. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden, bill weir and tonight, juju chang in new york city, this is "nightline," december 15th, 2011. >> good evening, i'm juju chang. are you being watched? it's a disturbing thought, but a recent rash of voyeurism cases suggests it's not just a paranoid suggest. criminals are using tiny hidden cameras in public and seemingly private places. worse still, in many states, these crimes are only misdemeanor, meaning even peeping toms that are caught aren't seriously punished. here's abc's dan harris. >> reporter: these are boom times for peeping toms who are watching you by hiding cameras in places you would never expect. you're looking at jonathan willing. police say this video shows him

putting a tiny camera in a tanning booth where he recorded four naked women. and this here is james allen reesy, shown on video apparently placing his cell phone camera under an unsuspecting woman's dress. and police say he did the same thing as a nearby thrift store, achling the lens underneath the door of a dressing room as a 10-year-old changes inside. >> the man is disgusting. he needs to be put away for good. >> reporter: video voyeurs, armed with high tech, low cost cameras, like this one disguised as a pen or this one as a coat hook, are striking all over america. and shockingly, they are either getting away with it or getting off easy. >> this is anonymous. this is the ability to actually invade someone's privacy and steal their dignity. >> if you are changing in a dressing room, you don't expect anything like that to occur. >> reporter: it happened to this family from virginia, when they were in washington, d.c. this

past april. >> we came up with family to see the city for easter weekend. >> reporter: when they 5-year-old daughter needed to go to the bathroom, they ducked into this starbucks, and watch what happens inside. >> there's a camera right here. >> reporter: when she said, there's a camera, did you think she was making it up? >> in a way, yeah, i was like, surely there's not a camera. and i turned and turn and look and sure enough, small camera underneath the sink just nested right there on top of the drainpipe, pointing at the toilet. as soon as i walked around, i looked at it, saw the little red light was on and my little red light turned on. >> reporter: you can see how andy walks out and tells the next person in line -- >> i found this in the bathroom. >> oh, no. >> reporter: and storms up to the manager who calls the cops. >> my daughter is on here, yeah, i want you to call the police. i'm going to way out front. >> so, our daughter is exposed

on this video. when you're a mother, there's no way to describe the protective feeling you have for your children. you get very upset. >> reporter: starbucks, with thousands of stores all over the country, seems to be a very popular target for voyeurs. we found seven reported cases, including this man, who pled guilty for videotaping 45 women and children at this starbucks in glendora, california, and this man, who pled guilty after being caught red-handed on his on camera in new york. this family is suing starbucks for $1 million, arguing the company should have been aware of this problem and should have done more to stop it. let me play devil's advocate. they could say, we can't check our bath rooms every 20 minutes to make sure a creep isn't placing a camera in there. >> they have a checklist of items they check to clean off. and making sure the toile paper is stocked and what not. maybe training employees to look

in those places, check the air vents, check behind the toilet. >> reporter: starbucks has denied any wrongdoing in the lawsuit brought against it and has said in a state, "we monitor the seating areas and restrooms in our stores on a regular basis to identify potential safety or security concerns." privacy experts say companies like starbucks need to do much more to stop video voyeurs. >> starbucks strictly coms the quality of the products that are sold in their stores. they strictly control the types of furniture and the wall hangings and the music that are played in their stores. these stores do not typically contain rogue items that customers just come in and install themselves. but that's what we're talking about with the cameras. >> reporter: he says this problem is only going to get worse, as cameras become more sophisticated and less expensive. look at this camera, found hidden in a roll of toilet paper in a starbucks in oregon. it is tiny, powered by a nine

volt battery and able to stream live to the web. if you were a peeping tom back in the day, you needed to sneak up to somebody's house and look in the window. now, just put a camera and stream it live on the web. >> voi yerps are simply adopting the technology that governments, companies and the military have developed and that is becoming increasingly available. >> reporter: and here's the most outrageous part. when video voyeurs are caught, they are often not severely punished. in many states, it's only a misdemeanor, meaning less than a year in jail. and when they catch children on tape, they are often not prosecuted for child pornography or added to the sex offender registry. >> one of the most disturbing aspects is that it is often not treated as a child sex crime or child pornography and as a result the penalty, if any, doesn't reflect the seriousness of the crime. >> reporter: as for this family, and their 5-year-old daughter caught on tape in that starbucks

bathroom, the person that owns that camera still has not been caught. and the girls parents say she will not get over her ordeal any time soon. >> we went out to lunch. we had to use a bathroom in public and she made sure, she said, mommy, we have to make sure there's no cameras before we use the toilet. that's not normal. >> reporter: an innocent victim of an increasing peril of modern life. for "nightline" this is dan harris in washington, d.c. >> deeply creepy. our thanks to dan harris. and just ahead, she's in control. janet jackson talks about her niece paris and the insecurities that plagued her childhood. oh, hello. i'd like to tell you about netflix. it's an amazing service that lets you watch unlimited movies and tv episodes instantly. you watch netflix on your pc or on your tv through a game console or other devices, connected to the internet.

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>> janet jackson is the most famous member of a wildly successful show business family, that felt first hand the scalding heat of the. now 45, miss jackson opens up about her lifelong struggle with body image, this began with child stardom. so, when he famously sheltered 13-year-old niece paris spoke out about her decision to join the family business, aunt janet's advice resonates. ♪ nasty boys >> reporter: no one knows better than janet jackson about growing up in the spotlight. here she is, an 8-year-old, belting out a tune on "the carol burnett show." holding her own with the jackson 5. ♪ good times >> reporter: yet, she says, behind the fame was the pain that comes with being a child star.

>> i was 10 years old when i did "good times." i remember my very first show, the wardrobe woman, she said, okay, we're going to bind your chest because your chest is too big. i was developing at a young age. the following season, they said i needed to lose weight. >> reporter: and you are 12? >> yes. i never told anyone about it. i kept it inside for years. >> reporter: which maybe why is she especially protective of her 13-year-old niece, paris, once so guarded by her father, michael. >> this is your first time on television. >> reporter: who, today, gave a public interview to ellen degeneres. >> do remember wearing a mask, going, this is weird? >> i'm like, this is stupid, why am i wearing a mask? but i kind of realized the older i got, he only tried to protect us. >> you tell your dad you wanted to act? >> yeah. >> reporter: now, she's about to join a family business, one that's brought fame and fortune, but left janet emotionally scarred. your niece is doing a movie.

>> i'm happy for her because this is what she wants to do. >> reporter: you, at 12, had a very interesting experience. do you share that kind of advice with her? >> i told her, i said, you should really take this time to enjoy your youth. to the fullest. because you lose so much of your childhood in this industry. >> reporter: for janet, those early years set in motion a lifelong struggle with body image. where did that come from? >> it stems from when i was a kid. being the baby of the family, you get teased. >> reporter: michael would? >> yeah, about my butt being too big. and i carried that through my adult life. >> reporter: even at the pinnacle of her stardom with those abs of steel -- >> i didn't like it. >> reporter: you didn't? you were flawless. you werere the beauty i deal foa generation of women. >> if it's not our arms, it's our thighs. i could very easily pick myself apart. and that's what i would do.

>> reporter: and while her anthem became "i'm in control," she felt anything but. ♪ in control >> reporter: when you were fluctuating, what were your comfort foods? >> ice cream, sometimes chips, cookies. sometimes healthy food, but too much. >> reporter: and her weight ballooned, in 2005, this shot showed a much heavier janet. in her newly released paperbook, "true you," she shares her life long battle for self-acceptance. janet says her painful journey is what makes her want to help others. and in a surprising move, today, is she reveals her newest role. as a paid spokesperson. >> you need a plan that's easy. that works for you. make nutri-system success your plan. >> reporter: huh. doing nutri-system? >> i've struggled. i've had issues with this all my life. >> reporter: she completes a trio of divas that have signed up to sell diets in the $60

billion weight loss industry. mare rye ya carey lost baby weight with jenny. jennifer hudson touts weight watchers, the brand leader. one of the big criticism is, i don't like the taste of that prepackaged food. >> i tasted these, my gosh. the cookies are wonderful. i could go on and on. i love the lasagna. >> reporter: she's undaunted by research that suggests 80% of most dieters regain weight on national weight loss plans. as someone that has yo-yoed back and boforth, what makes this on different? >> it's a matter of learning the maintenance. and they have a program for that. for janet jackson, 2011 has been a year of blank? >> a great deal of happiness, some sadness. >> reporter: like reliving the trauma of her brother's death. during the trial of conrad murray, who is now serving a four-year jail sentence. when it came to the trial, you tweeted out, "justice has been served." what did you mean by that?

>> exactly that. even though it doesn't bring my brother back, that would be the ultimate, but the best was done at that moment. >> reporter: it must be terrible, sitting in that courtroom. >> it was difficult on all of us. it wasn't easy, sitting there, every single day. >> reporter: but 2011 has also been a year of new beginnings. ♪ control >> reporter: and an international concert tour. janet jackson also guards the memory of the brother with whom she was so close. what do you want your brother's legacy to be? >> just so many things. his love for children, his love for people. his love for music. his love for the fans. >> reporter: when do you think about him most? >> every day, every day. a day doesn't go by. >> janet's story, "true you," is out in paperback just this week. next up, president obama, on the coming election.

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well, he's had a good, long look at the competition. so, does president obama think he can win re-election in 2012? abc's barbara walters sat down today with the president and

asked him about his prospects. >> reporter: you have said, and i'm quoting, i would rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president. well, about three-quarters of americans say the country is seriously on the wrong track. so, does that suggest that the american people find you a mediocre president? >> i think what it suggests is that we've gone through a very difficult time. and in order for us to move forward, we're going to have to do more work. >> reporter: so, you won't be a mediocre two-term president? >> i want to be a really good two-term president. >> you can see barbara's full interview with the president and mrs. obama on both "nightline" and a "20/20" holiday special, next friday. but tonight, the president's republican opponents held their last debate before voting finally begins in iowa. here's "nightline" anchor terry moran with a very brief history of the republican debate.

>> reporter: tonight, the republicans went at it again. >> let me tell you, i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> reporter: and there was this exchange on newt gingrich's alleged influence peddling. >> we know he cashed paychecks from freddie mac. that's the best evidence you can have. >> what she just said is not true. i never lobbied under any circumstances. >> reporter: these candidates have debated for more than 26 hours all told this year, starting back in may. 13 times they've gone at it. and if you've missed some of that, here's a brief and ly irr. there's plenty they agreed on. >> failed policies of this administration. >> failed to lead. >> he's failed us. >> reporter: and they all promise to accomplish one big thing. >> repeal obama care. >> obama care. >> obama care. >> obama care. >> not cutting anything out of anything. all this talk is just talk.

>> reporter: sometimes things got testy. >> rick, again -- >> you had -- your newspaper -- >> i'm speaking. just please wait. are you just going to keep talking? are you going to let me finish? >> reporter: and sometimes things got a little weird. >> i introduced the lightbulb freedom of choice act. >> i will come to your house and cook you dinner. >> i love you, brother. >> i'll come to your house and mow your lawn. >> herman cain kept things lively before. >> 9-9-9. 9-9-9. >> reporter: at times, it got personal. >> i've been of the opinion that, if you cheat on your wife, you'll cheat on your business partners. >> i said up front openly i made mistakes. i had to seek reconciliation. >> the third agency of government i would do away with it. education -- >> reporter: and, of course, a few gaffes. >> i -- commerce. and, let's see. i can't. the third one i can't. sorry. oops. >>