WSJ Tech News Briefing

Traditionally, children's book publishers have relied heavily on creative give and take between authors and editors, sometimes using focus groups and other data sources for market intelligence. But one digital library, Epic, is using data to inform the process of creating children's books. Arts and entertainment reporter Ellen Gamerman joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss. Christopher Zinsli is our supervising producer. Kateri Jochum is the executive producer of WSJ Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The heads of Facebook, Twitter and Google's parent Alphabet are expected to make their first appearance before the new Congress today, where they are likely to face questions about how they moderate content on their platforms. Tech policy reporter Ryan Tracy joins host Amanda Lewellyn with a look ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Non-fungible tokens are exploding in popularity, and the music industry is the latest to pick up on the trend. Music-industry reporter Anne Steele joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss how artists are taking advantage of NFTs, and how the assets could help address issues of authenticity and fair pay that have long plagued the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fueled by Reddit and other online forums, retail investors drove shares of GameStop to new heights earlier this year. Even now, at nearly $200, the price of a share of GameStop is more than 10 times what it was at the start of the year, though that is down considerably from its peak of $483 in late January. Now the company is set to release its first earnings report since the frenzy. Videogames reporter Sarah Needleman joins host Amanda Lewellyn with what to expect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Covid-19 vaccines roll out, a new challenge is emerging: How do you figure out who can safely enter public spaces? A group called the Vaccine Credential Initiative is preparing to release open-source standards to help verify people's vaccination records in mobile apps or through QR codes. Reporter Sara Castellanos joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New data shows that while box-office revenue has plunged during the pandemic, subscriptions to streaming services have soared. Hollywood reporter R.T. Watson joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why the trend could endure even after movie theaters reopen, and how studios are shifting their strategies to adapt. Christopher Zinsli is our supervising producer. Kateri Jochum is the executive producer of WSJ Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook is the latest social-media company to say it would roll out tools to help users monetize their audiences. Reporter Sarah Needleman joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why so many companies are making these sorts of moves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The messaging app Signal has become unusable for many people in mainland China, with users concluding it has apparently been blocked by authorities. Signal was one of the last widely used messaging apps that could send and receive encrypted messages in China without the use of a virtual private network, or VPN. Asia tech reporter Stephanie Yang discusses what the blocking of Signal and other services means for discourse in China. Christopher Zinsli hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With more than 500 million active monthly users, Telegram is one of the few significant social-media challengers to Facebook. But until now the messaging company hasn't made much of an effort to turn that success in attracting users into a money-making business. Tech reporter Sam Schechner discusses how that is changing. Christopher Zinsli hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As office employees start returning after a year of working from home, many will encounter a different kind of environment: hybrid work. Senior Personal Technology Columnist Joanna Stern joins host Kateri Jochum to explain what that means, the problems it could pose, and tech tips for dealing with them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both sides of the political aisle have discussed the need to strengthen U.S. antitrust law. Congressional hearings this week could be a first test of whether that will come to fruition. Tech policy reporter Ryan Tracy joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the hearings, and what the outcome could mean for tech companies. Christopher Zinsli is our supervising producer. Kateri Jochum is the executive producer of WSJ Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The chat startup Discord has doubled its user base and nearly tripled its revenue during the pandemic, as consumer demand for at-home entertainment has skyrocketed. Unlike the big social-media platforms, though, Discord uses a subscription model. Reporter Sarah Needleman joins host Amanda Lewellyn to explain why other platforms are taking note. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The European Union's massive Covid-19 economic-relief package includes a more than $150 billion pledge to bolster its technological independence by 2030. Tech reporter Stu Woo joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss who the E.U. is competing against, and what is at stake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Non-fungible tokens have blown up in recent days, with collectors using them to verify the authenticity of everything from LeBron James highlights to the latest Kings of Leon album. But what are they? And are they here to stay? Reporter Caitlin Ostroff explains. Amanda Lewellyn hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, tech startups have relied on rounds of venture capital to fuel early-stage growth before eventually going public. But recently more are turning to an alternative route to raising capital and securing a public listing: through special purpose acquisition companies, known as SPACs or "blank check" companies. Reporter Heather Somerville explains the trend and breaks down the risks and potential benefits. Amanda Lewellyn hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hospitals have increasingly been hit with ransomware attacks during the pandemic, making it even harder to deliver critical care to Covid-19 patients. Reporter Melanie Evans joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss what is causing the uptick, and what it could mean for hospitals. Christopher Zinsli is our supervising producer. Kateri Jochum is the executive producer of WSJ Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alphabet's Google says it will stop using tracking technologies that uniquely identify internet users based on their browser history. Tech reporter Sam Schechner joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss why the change is coming now, and how it could upend the digital-advertising industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since the 19th century, syringes have been the go-to way to administer vaccines. Over the years, some technologists have tried, without much success, to introduce alternatives. But as Covid-19 vaccines roll out, reporter Jason Douglas says some companies see an opening. Amanda Lewellyn hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As tech companies begin to plan for life on the other side of the pandemic, many startups are betting on a future without traditional office spaces. Tech reporter Katherine Bindley joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss why they are hesitant to sign leases, and what the shift could mean for the way the tech industry works. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many tech companies, India is key to continued growth. There are hundreds of millions of users in the country who have yet to start using email, or tweeting, or shopping online. But New Delhi has begun to exert tighter control over internet companies, complicating their high hopes for the market. Tech reporter Newley Purnell joins host Amanda Lewellyn to discuss the latest measures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices