Facebook Inc (FB) News: Pandora Media Inc (P) Integration, Global Network Initiative, HTC First & More

Related Tickers: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P)

Ahead of earnings, Pandora brings your music listening activity to Facebook’s Timeline (VentureBeat)
The world’s largest streaming music service, Pandora Media Inc (NYSE:P), is finally adding some deep integration with the world’s largest social network, Facebook, giving its users a much easier way to socialize their musical activity with friends. Following on the heels of yesterday’s Pandora Premieres announcement, the new Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) integration adds a helpful social layer to the streaming music service, and may help assure investors that Pandora is moving forward despite a grim business outlook ahead of tomorrow’s Q1 FY2014 earnings report.

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)“Facebook Phone” HTC First Won’t Be Sold In The UK [Rumor] (WebProNews)
When Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) revealed Home for Android, it also revealed a new phone called the HTC First to go along with it. The phone apparently didn’t do so well in the American market leading to rumors of its demise. Now it looks like the phone won’t even get a chance across the pond. Mobile News reports that pre-orders for the HTC First in the UK have been canceled. Those who were hoping to get ahold of a “Facebook Phone” will now have to settle for one of the preexisting Android devices that support Home. Interestingly enough, it seems that the decision to cancel the HTC First launch in the UK was made by Facebook.

Facebook Joins GNI Online Privacy-and-Freedom Group (Wall Street Journal)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) said Wednesday that it joined the Global Network Initiative, an advocacy group that promotes online privacy and freedom. The organization already features several other technology giants such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google , as well as rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Human Rights in China. By backing GNI, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is taking a tougher stand against governments that suppress online freedoms and privacy. The group provides its member companies with guidelines on how to work with governments that may be pushing them to violate users’ privacy or online freedoms. It also conducts independent reviews of its member companies’ practices to ensure that they are upholding GNI’s goals.

Why Kim Dotcom wants to sue Twitter, Google & Facebook (Times of India)
Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said that he was considering taking legal action against tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) for infringing copyright on a security measure he invented. Dotcom, who is on bail in New Zealand as US authorities seek his extradition in the world’s biggest copyright case, said he invented “two-factor authentication”, which many major sites have adopted as a security feature. “Google, Facebook, Twitter, Citibank, etc. offer Two-Step-Authentication. Massive IP (intellectual property) infringement by U.S. companies. My innovation. My patent,” he added.

Facebook defends position on hate speech (Irish Times)
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has moved to defend and clarify its policies on gender-based hate speech amid pressure from advertisers. The company said there was “no place” on the social network for content that was threatening, incited violence or was “deemed to be genuinely or directly harmful”, but that “distasteful content on its own” does not violate its policies. The company was responding to an open letter written by a coalition of more than 60 groups, in which they asked Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) users to pressure companies to pull their advertising from Facebook until it removes offensive pages and changes its policies on moderating content that targets women for violence.

Teens migrating from Facebook to Twitter (Columbus Dispatch)
Almost a quarter of online teenagers use Twitter to catch up with friends and keep track of celebrities — a big jump in usage as teens flock to various social-media sites and spend less time on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) to avoid their parents and other adults as well as rampant “over-sharing.” The number of teen Twitter users is up from 16 percent in 2011, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. About 16 percent of adults tapping social-media sites use Twitter. Teens are increasingly turning to Twitter, the mobile photo-sharing service Instagram and the social blogging service Tumblr as they express “waning enthusiasm” for Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB), the survey found.