France Accuses Israeli Firm BlackCore of Interfering in Scottish Elections

France's cybersecurity agency has accused an Israeli technology company of interfering in Scottish elections earlier this year. Viginum, an agency tasked with detecting disinformation, stated that BlackCore used proxy social media accounts on four occasions to target Scottish First Minister John Swinney, the Scottish National Party (SNP), and the Scottish government.

BlackCore's activities were mainly directed at local elections in France. However, Viginum reported that the company also targeted the New York mayoral election, won by Eric Adams, as well as elections in Togo and Angola. Mark-Antoin Briand, head of Viginum's digital interference department, announced the findings at a press conference. He stated that investigations identified BlackCore as responsible but could not determine who hired the company.

"This modus operandi was not limited to French local elections," Briand said. "It appears to have been used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the Scottish elections, and the New York local elections in 2025." Briand added that the identity of the client or clients behind this foreign digital interference remains unknown.

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This modus operandi was not limited to French local elections. It appears to have been used to carry out foreign digital interference operations in other countries or regions, such as Angola, Togo, the Scottish elections, and the New York local elections in 2025.

The Viginum report detailed that Swinney, the SNP, and the Scottish government in Edinburgh were the targets of a specific campaign between January 6 and May 8, preceding and during a fiercely contested Scottish parliamentary election campaign. According to the report, BlackCore engaged in "coordinated content publishing" and mobilized at least 256 accounts on the X social network, facilitating the spread of approximately 1,400 comments. Swinney's account was targeted 652 times, the SNP's 338 times, and the Scottish government's 112 times.

Swinney and his ministers have been vocal critics of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. They implemented sanctions against the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) by suspending state subsidies for arms manufacturing companies supplying the IDF and freezing export support to Israel. Reuters, which previously reported on BlackCore, noted that the company removed content from its website after journalists contacted them and did not respond to requests for comment. BlackCore previously described itself as an "elite influence, cyber operations, and technology company built for the modern age of information warfare," claiming to offer "cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools, and robust security to shape narratives" for governments and political campaigns. The Israeli government stated it awaits the French report before deciding on its own investigation and denied any interest in interfering in other countries' elections.

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Our investigations have not made it possible to identify the client or clients, if they exist, behind this foreign digital interference.