Israeli tech firm targeted John Swinney in election misinformation campaign, France says

An Israeli firm spread misinformation about John Swinney before the Holyrood election, French authorities claim.

Hundreds of fake social media accounts were allegedly used to target Swinney and the SNP in “digital interference operations”.

French government agency Viginum claims the same company tried to smear candidates in France and New York.

The firm, BlackCore, is said to have targeted figures critical of Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

It is said to have orchestrated the posting of hundreds of comments on Swinney’s social media posts.

Swinney, who is currently in the USA for Scotland’s World Cup match against Haiti, called the claims “deeply concerning”.

He said: “It is clear that orchestrated disinformation campaigns and foreign election interference are issues which need to be taken seriously.

“Urgent steps need to be taken to counter the threat of foreign online political interference and ensure that our democratic processes are not undermined.

“That begins with the UK Government, which has responsibility for national security, making dealing with hostile state online interference a far higher priority.”

BlackCore is also said to have been suspected of running an online campaign against three mayoral candidates in French local elections.

Also connected to activity in Togo and Angola, BlackCore advertised itself as an “elite influence, cyber and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare”.

It said it could provide “cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools and robust security to shape narratives” to governments and political campaigns.

Marc-Antoine Brillant, chief executive of Viginum, said it is unclear who had paid for the BlackCore campaigns. However, France has asked Israel for an explanation.

Brillant said: “Our investigations did not make it possible to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference.”

The Viginum report states: “Viginum identified the mobilisation of at least 256 accounts that enabled the spread of 1,400 comments, mainly on posts from @JohnSwinney, @theSNP, and @ScotGovFM (respectively 652, 338 and 112 comments).”

In a statement, the Israeli embassy in Paris said it had yet to receive the particulars of the investigation. The embassy said: “Israel has, of course, no intention to interfere in the French political process, be it at the national or municipal level.”