France accuses Israeli firm BlackCore of election interference in several countries

Watchdog says Israeli firm BlackCore influenced elections across multiple countries France’s digital interference watchdog, Viginum, has linked Israeli company BlackCore to online influence and propaganda campaigns conducted across Europe, Africa and the United States. In a report released on Sunday, Viginum said the operations targeted elections and political figures in locations including France, Scotland, Angola, Togo and New York City. According to the report, accounts linked to BlackCore targeted John Swinney, who described Gaza as a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe”, and also focused on candidates from the French left-wing party La France Insoumise through automated accounts, data leaks and the circulation of fabricated allegations. Viginum also said it found evidence suggesting similar methods were used during municipal elections in New York City, although Brillant said the targets and sponsors behind those operations remain unclear. 

An Israeli influence operation named BlackCore allegedly sought to undermine left-wing politicians and shape elections in the UK and US. The Canary previously reported on a joint French/Israeli media investigation into the shadowy outfit. BlackCore is also accused of setting up a bogus Palestine charity. Now a French domestic security agency is investigating too. Israeli […] By Joe Glenton

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Cyber agency says BlackCore targeted John Swinney, as well as interfering in New York and French electionsFrance’s cybersecurity agency has accused the Israeli tech company BlackCore of interfering in the Scottish elections earlier this year by targeting the first minister, John Swinney.The disinformation detection agency Viginum said BlackCore had this year used proxy social media accounts to target Swinney, the Scottish National party, and the Scottish government on four occasions. Continue reading...

Israeli firm BlackCore meddled in US and Scottish elections, French watchdog says Submitted by Ayse Betul on Fri, 06/12/2026 - 10:19 Already accused of influencing French votes, the Israeli company is now suspected of targeting pro-Palestine figures in elections in New York City and Scotland New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he was sworn in as New York City’s mayor, 1 January 2026 (Spencer Platt/AFP/Getty Images) Off Israeli cyber firm BlackCore, recently accused of interfering in France’s local elections, is also suspected of meddling in elections in New York City and Scotland, according to the French disinformation watchdog Viginum, the news agency Reuters has reported. At a press conference on Thursday alongside French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, ​Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant said technical investigations had led them to suspect BlackCore. The watchdog said BlackCore was suspected of influence operations ​around the world. "This modus operandi was not limited to municipal elections in France," he said. "It also appears to have been used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the elections in Scotland, and the 2025 ​municipal election in New York." However, Brillant said it was still unclear who had commissioned the Israeli company to meddle in French politics. "Our investigations did not make it possible ​to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference." Last month, French authorities suspected the Israeli firm of orchestrating an online smear campaign against three mayoral candidates from the leftist pro-Palestine France Unbowed party (LFI) in the local election. Pentagon raises alarm over Israel’s ‘unhinged’ spying on US officials Read More » A foreign digital interference campaign, first flagged by Viginum in March, used deceptive websites, social media accounts, and negative digital ads to smear three left-wing mayoral candidates in Marseille, Toulouse, and Roubaix with false criminal allegations, including sexual assault. A joint investigation by Liberation and Haaretz later uncovered the operation's digital tools on a server linked to BlackCore, and two companies based in Tel Aviv. The French government had asked Israel for explanations on BlackCore's actions, as well as for help in trying to find out who may have been behind the smear campaign, Lecornu said. "I do not doubt for a single instant that if a French private ​group, from French soil moreover, had engaged in foreign digital interference in Israel, they would have done the same to its ambassador on site," he ​added. Israel's embassy in Paris confirmed that France had reached out, saying it was waiting to receive details from the French investigation in order to conduct its own. High-profile targets in NYC and Scotland Brillant did not explicitly mention who was targeted in last year's New York City election, which was won by Zohran Mamdani, an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian cause. Mamdani’s team, the New York Police Department, and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment, while the FBI declined to comment. Viginum subsequently reported that BlackCore-linked accounts also targeted Scotland’s first minister, John Swinney, who has described the situation in Gaza as a "man-made humanitarian catastrophe" and said a genocide may be unfolding. According to Reuters, before erasing its online presence following enquiries from the press, BlackCore described itself as "an elite influence, ​cyber, and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare". It said it ​provided governments and political campaigns with "cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools, and robust security to shape narratives". The company has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Israel Lobby News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Israeli firm BlackCore, suspected of interfering in France's local elections in March, is also suspected of meddling in elections in New York City and Scotland, and operating in Angola and Togo, France's disinformation detection service, Viginum, said on Thursday.