Israeli firm BlackCore also suspected of meddling in NYC, Scotland votes, French official says

French authorities suspect the Israeli firm BlackCore of meddling in elections beyond France, with alleged interference in New York City and Scotland, as well as operations in Angola and Togo. Marc-Antoine Brillant, head of France's disinformation detection service Viginum, stated that BlackCore's methods were not confined to French municipal elections held in March.

Last month, Reuters reported that French officials believed BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting three candidates from the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI). Brillant confirmed that the firm's "modus operandi" appears to have been employed for foreign digital interference operations in other regions, including Angola, Togo, Scotland, and New York City's 2025 municipal election.

French authorities launched an investigation into the campaign after facing pressure to address concerns about the security of French elections. Suspected offenses include foreign espionage, election fraud through false news, and promoting terrorism online. The operation specifically targeted Marseille mayoral candidate Sébastien Delogu, Toulouse contender François Piquemal, and their Roubaix counterpart David Guiraud, according to French authorities and the candidates themselves.

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This modus operandi was not limited to municipal elections in France. 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.