AI and Tech News, 18 Oct 2026: Starshield, DeepSeek, Meta Terms

Here are the eight biggest technology and AI stories of the day, from Zelenskyy's claim that Starshield limits target only Ukraine and DeepSeek's latest model update to Mercedes-AMG's 1,153 hp electric SUV.

1. Zelenskyy Says Starshield Limits Apply Only in Ukraine and Look Deliberate

He said tests with Starlink-equipped vehicles in EU countries showed the speed restrictions apply only inside Ukraine and called them a planned operation, while Trump and the White House deny ordering any limits.

2. DeepSeek Releases Its V4.1-Flash-1017 Model Update

The update is live on DeepSeek's web, app and API with unchanged pricing, its open weights are on Hugging Face, and DeepSeek says it beats larger rivals on some coding and agent benchmarks.

3. Meta Removes Terms Language That Raised AI Scraping Concerns

Meta deleted wording from its business terms, due October 30, that experts said could let it crawl news and other sites tied to business accounts, saying the crawling terms only applied to ads and business products.

4. TikTok Permanently Bans the Musk Documentary's Promotional Account

TikTok cited the severity of political-policy violations as Alex Gibney's film about Elon Musk widened its theatrical release, and distributor Bleecker Street said it is appealing the suspension.

5. OpenCode Says a Breach Exposed Provider API Keys for 1.4% of Console Users

The coding agent's maker blamed unauthorized access to a legacy system it was retiring and urged affected users, who were notified by email, to revoke saved keys such as OpenAI and Anthropic ones.

6. Engineer Charged Over a Recording Device at OpenAI Seeks Bail

Lawyers for Abdulrahman Alfozan, accused of hiding an audio recorder at OpenAI's offices, said his one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia was booked before the federal investigation began and denied he planned to flee.

7. Turkey Confirms Hex Founder Richard Heart's Arrest and a $7.15M Cash Seizure

Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said police also seized six cold wallets after Heart, the subject of a Finnish Interpol Red Notice, was detained in Istanbul on October 14 with his wife.

8. Mercedes-AMG Unveils an Electric GT SUV With Up to 1,153 HP

The top GT 63 version uses three motors, and Mercedes says the 128 kWh models charge at up to 710 kW, from 10% to 80% in about 12 minutes, ahead of US arrivals in summer 2027.