This is todays edition ofThe Download,our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of whats going on in the world of technology.We need to protect the protocol that runs BlueskyEli Pariser & Deepti DoshiLast week, when Mark Zuckerberg announced Meta would be ending third-party fact-checking, it was a shocking pivot, but not exactly surprising. Its just the latest example of a billionaire flip-flop affecting our social lives on the internet.Zuckerberg isnt the only social media CEO careening all over the road: Elon Musk, since buying Twitter in 2022 and touting free speech as the bedrock of a functioning democracy, has suspended journalists, restored tens of thousands of banned users, brought back political advertising, and weakened verification and harassment policies.Unfortunately, these capricious billionaires can do whatever they want because of an ownership model that privileges singular, centralized control in exchange for shareholder returns. The internet doesnt need to be like this. But as luck would have it, a new way is emerging just in time. Read the full story.Deciding the fate of leftover embryosOver the past few months, Ive been working on a piece about IVF embryos. The goal of in vitro fertilization is to create babies via a bit of lab work: Trigger the release of lots of eggs, introduce them to sperm in a lab, transfer one of the resulting embryos into a persons uterus, and cross your fingers for a healthy pregnancy. Sometimes it doesnt work. But often it does. For the article, I explored what happens to the healthy embryos that are left over.These days, responsible IVF clinics will always talk to people about the possibility of having leftover embryos before they begin treatment. But it can be really difficult to make these decisions before youve even started treatment, and some people cant imagine having any left overor how they might feel about them. Read the full story.Jessica HamzelouThis article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Reviews weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.MIT Technology Review Narrated: Palmer Luckey on the Pentagons future of mixed realityPalmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus VR, has set his sights on a new mixed-reality headset customer: the Pentagon. If designed well, his company Andurils headset will automatically sort through countless pieces of information and flag the most important ones to soldiers in real time. But thats a big if.This is our latest story to be turned into a MIT Technology Review Narrated podcast, which were publishing each week on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just navigate to MIT Technology Review Narrated on either platform, and follow us to get all our new content as its released.The must-readsIve combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.1 The Biden administration wont force through a TikTok banBut TikTok could choose to shut itself down on Sunday to prove a point. (ABC News)+ A Supreme Court decision is expected later today. (NYT $)+ Every platform has a touch of TikTok about it these days. (The Atlantic $)2 Apple is pausing its AI news featureBecause it cant be trusted to meld news stories together without hallucinating. (BBC)+ The company is working on a fix to roll out in a future software update. (WP $)3 Meta is preparing for Donald Trumps mass deportationsBy relaxing speech policies around immigration, Meta is poised to shape public opinion towards accepting Trumps plans to tear families apart. (404 Media)4 An uncrewed SpaceX rocket exploded during a test flightElon Musk says it was probably caused by a leak. (WSJ $)5 The FBI believes that hackers accessed its agents call logsThe data could link investigators to their secret sources. (Bloomberg $)6 What its like fighting fire with waterDumping water on LAs wildfires may be inelegant, but it is effective. (NY Mag $)+ How investigators are attempting to trace the fires origins. (BBC)7 The road to adapting Teslas charges for other EVs is far from smoothBut it is happening, slowly but surely. (IEEE Spectrum)+ Donald Trump isnt a fan of EVs, but the market is undoubtedly growing. (Vox)+ Why EV charging needs more than Tesla. (MIT Technology Review)8 Bionic hands are getting far more sensitive A new study is shedding light on how to make them feel more realistic. (FT $)+ These prosthetics break the mold with third thumbs, spikes, and superhero skins. (MIT Technology Review)9 Gen Z cant get enough of astrology apps Stargazing is firmly back e\in vogue among the younger generations. (Economist $)10 Nintendo has finally unveiled its long-awaited Switch 2 consoleOnly for it to look a whole lot like its predecessor. (WSJ $)+ But itll probably sell a shedload of units anyway. (Wired $)Quote of the dayGoing viral is like winning the lotterynearly impossible to replicate.Sarah Schauer, a former star on defunct video app Vine, offers creators left nervous by TikToks uncertain future in the US some advice, the Washington Post reports.The big storyAfter 25 years of hype, embryonic stem cells are still waiting for their momentAugust 2023In 1998, researchers isolated powerful stem cells from human embryos. It was a breakthrough, since these cells are the starting point for human bodies and have the capacity to turn into any other type of cellheart cells, neurons, you name it.National Geographic would later summarize the incredible promise: the dream is to launch a medical revolution in which ailing organs and tissues might be repaired with living replacements. It was the dawn of a new era. A holy grail. Pick your favorite clichthey all got airtime.Yet today, more than two decades later, there are no treatments on the market based on these cells. Not one. Our biotech editor Antonio Regalado set out to investigate why, and when that might change. Heres what he discovered.We can still have nice thingsA place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet em at me.)+ If youre planning on catching up with a friend this weekendstop! You should be hanging out instead.+ David Lynch was a true visionary; an innovative artist and master of the truly weird. The world is a duller place without him.+ The very best instant noodles, ranked ($)+ Congratulations to the highly exclusive Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary.