2 hours ago
3
PA Media
John Swinney and the SNP were allegedly targeted by tech firm BlackCore
Scotland's first minister was targeted by an Israeli firm spreading online disinformation before the Holyrood election, a French government agency has claimed.
John Swinney and the SNP were allegedly targeted in accounts linked to BlackCore – a tech company claiming to "shape narratives" who French authorities accused of trying to smear pro-Palestine election candidates.
Disinformation detection service Viginum said hundreds of fake accounts would leave co-ordinated comments on Swinney's social media posts.
The first minister described the Viginum report as "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."
Last month, news agency Reuters revealed that French authorities suspected BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting three mayoral candidates from the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) in local elections.
Viginum released a detailed report on the firm, stating that it interfered in several countries with "digital interference operations".
This included "inauthentic accounts" on social media, which would coordinate online comments on the profiles of Swinney, the SNP and the Scottish government.
The report states: "Viginum identified the mobilization 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)."
Viginum chief Marc-Antoine Brillant said it was still unclear who had commissioned BlackCore to interfere in France and other countries.
He added: "Our investigations did not make it possible to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference."
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the French government had asked Israel for an explanation on BlackCore's actions, but also for help trying to find out who may have been behind the smear campaign.
He said: "I do not doubt for a single instant that if a French private group, from French soil moreover, had engaged in foreign digital interference in Israel, they would have done the same to its ambassador on site."
BlackCore described itself as an "elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern sera of information warfare".
It said it provided governments and political campaigns with "cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools, and robust security to shape narratives."
The firm deleted its online presence after Reuters made inquiries.
Israel's embassy in Paris said it was waiting to receive details from the French probe before conducting its own investigation.
In a statement it said: "Israel has, of course, no intention to interfere in the French political process, be it at the national or municipal level."
