French authorities are examining whether a foreign interference campaign aimed at a hard-left party ahead of March’s municipal elections was carried out at least in part by an Israeli firm called BlackCore, according to Reuters news agency, which cited three sources familiar with the matter.
French intelligence agencies are now investigating who may have commissioned the alleged BlackCore campaign to smear three France Unbowed candidates in a campaign that included deceptive websites and social media accounts alleging criminal behaviour, as well as disparaging digital ads, sources said.
BlackCore has described itself on its website and LinkedIn page as “an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare.”
It said it provided governments and political campaigns with “cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools, and robust security to shape narratives.”
Reuters reviewed BlackCore documents in which the company claimed credit for a separate social media operation carried out on behalf of an African government. The documents were undated but referred to an operation that began in January this year and extended for 14 weeks. An individual provided the documents to Reuters on condition that certain details about them were withheld.
After Reuters asked Facebook owner Meta Platforms about the African operation outlined in the documents, the company said the “network” behind it was tied to the disinformation campaign launched ahead of the French municipal elections. Meta stopped short of identifying a culprit.
Meta told Reuters it had removed a network of accounts and pages for violating its rules against “coordinated inauthentic behaviour.” It said the rogue activity originated in Israel and “primarily targeted France.”
Two of the sources who had knowledge of BlackCore’s alleged French disinformation campaign said they were also aware of the company’s work in Africa, without elaborating.
Google and TikTok independently identified aspects of the French disinformation operation while policing their respective networks, according to two other sources. Neither provided further detail.
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Smear campaign
The operation targeted Marseille mayoral candidate Sebastien Delogu, Toulouse contender Francois Piquemal and their Roubaix counterpart David Guiraud, according to French authorities and the candidates themselves.
