France accuses Israeli company BlackCore of worldwide election interference
France's Viginum agency says Israeli firm BlackCore interfered in elections in France, New York, Scotland, Angola, and Togo, using digital campaigns to discredit candidates.
The head of France's disinformation detection service Viginum, Marc-Antoine Brillant, stated at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu that the Israeli company BlackCore was behind an online campaign to discredit three candidates from the far-left pro-Palestinian party "France Unbowed" (LFI) in municipal elections.
Viginum later released a detailed report on the company's alleged global activities. Brillant said their actions were not limited to French municipal elections, but also involved foreign digital interference operations in Angola, Togo, during elections in Scotland, and the 2025 municipal elections in New York, where progressive politician Zoran Mamdani won.
Viginum also identified BlackCore-linked accounts targeting Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, who had previously strongly criticized Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip. French intelligence has not yet identified the direct clients behind these influence campaigns.
Prime Minister Lecornu said Paris has already approached Israel for clarifications and legal assistance to determine who may have ordered the discrediting campaigns. The Israeli embassy in Paris denied any intention to interfere in French elections, stating that Israel has no intention of interfering in the French political process at any level.
Before completely erasing its online presence, BlackCore described itself as "an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern age of information warfare," claiming to provide governments and political campaigns with "advanced strategies, cutting-edge tools, and reliable security to shape narratives."
