Samsung's 'Context' feature to automatically share user data with developers?

Samsung's software features may not be loved by everyone, but none of them have ever been more than nuisances that some folks would be glad to get rid of. Now, the Korean manufacturer could be working on a software feature that could wander into the world of controversy – according to The Information, Samsung is working on a new feature called Context, which would provide app developers with user data from the company's smartphones. This data would include things like the words typed into the phone, apps opened by a user, information from sensors, among others, data that could be used to customize and improve the experience for users.

However, while developers might find this information useful, Context would certainly draw ire from privacy advocates and even those that would otherwise not have any issues with their data getting shared with a third-party. Actually, the part where Context would share data on the words typed into an app is what would be the biggest issue here, as it would make the feature rather similar to a keylogger and could result in security issues for the user, which has reportedly caused disagreements within the company.

As a result, it's unclear whether Context will make it into the Galaxy S5, which is expected to be unveiled at Mobile World Congress later this month, though with the recent rumors of Google taking interest in making Samsung dial down on its customization, here's hoping this is one feature that never makes it into Samsung's already heavily bloated software.