An Israeli tech firm, BlackCore, is suspected of interfering in France’s local elections in March, along with elections in New York City and Scotland, according to a joint investigation by Haaretz and Liberation. This shadowy disinformation network used digital tools found on a server linked to BlackCore and two Tel Aviv-based tech companies, though direct evidence of the latter's involvement is absent.
France’s Viginum, a digital interference detection service, exposed the operation targeting La France Insoumise (LFI) candidates in Marseille, Toulouse, and Roubaix with smear campaigns using fake websites, AI-generated images, and avatars making criminal allegations. Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant confirmed BlackCore's suspected influence operations extended to Angola, Togo, and the 2025 New York municipal election, which was won by Palestinian cause supporter Zohran Mamdani. In Scotland, First Minister John Swinney and the Scottish National Party (SNP) were targeted between January 6 and May 8, 2026, by at least 256 inauthentic accounts disseminating 1,400 comments. This highlights the malign nature of cyber-enabled foreign interference.
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