Is it okay to be cautious about CCTV cameras?

I don't want to sound like a "aluminum foil hat" guy but I'm concerned about CCTV cameras (private and public) around our towns.

All of these cameras do not send the stream to private servers (as the closed circuit would imply) but it's sent to the manufacturers' servers, usually in countries unfriendly to privacy regulations, let alone to human rights. I don't think I'm in immediate danger, but I personally think they likely flow into some AI models and into some government-controlled hands in order to do whatever they want with it.

Another risk is the fact they're very insecure.

I don't know how to battle this. I try not to look directly into a camera when I see one, but that's it. I wish more people would be aware of such risks.