According to the amendments made to the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses, citizens can be exempted from liability in the case of using household appliances that are freely available "with openly located governing bodies".
In particular, the law allows the use of smartphones, voice recorders, video cameras, GPS trackers to search for pets, video glasses, and other devices with integrated video cameras or global positioning systems.
In February, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev instructed to clarify the definition of secret technical means.
At the end of December, the plenum of the Supreme Court clarified that the purchase of spyware does not constitute a crime if a citizen acquired these funds to ensure the safety of themselves or their loved ones, as well as to monitor the animals.