French intelligence officials revealed Thursday that an Israeli company accused of election interference in France also allegedly meddled in voting processes in New York City and Scotland, along with operations in Angola and Togo.
The Israeli firm BlackCore came under scrutiny after French authorities suspected it orchestrated digital attacks against three mayoral hopefuls from the hard-left, pro-Palestine France Unbowed party during March local elections, according to previous reporting.
Marc-Antoine Brillant, head of France’s disinformation detection service Viginum, announced the findings during a Thursday news conference with French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Technical analysis pointed investigators toward BlackCore, leading to a comprehensive report on the company’s suspected worldwide activities.
“This modus operandi was not limited to municipal elections in France,” Brillant stated. “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.”
Despite the investigation’s progress, Brillant acknowledged significant gaps remain in understanding who hired BlackCore for the French operation.
“Our investigations did not make it possible to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference,” he explained.
Lecornu disclosed that French officials have reached out to Israel seeking both explanations about BlackCore’s conduct and assistance in identifying those responsible for the smear efforts.
“It goes without saying that obviously we asked them for assistance and explanations,” Lecornu 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.”
Israeli embassy representatives in Paris have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Regarding the New York situation, Brillant did not specify which candidates faced targeting in last year’s city election, which saw Zohran Mamdani emerge victorious. Mamdani’s win energized younger Jewish progressive voters while concerning more traditional pro-Israel New Yorkers due to his vocal Palestinian advocacy.
Mamdani’s campaign team has not responded to comment requests, nor have New York City or state officials. The New York Police Department and federal cyber defense agency CISA also did not return inquiries, while the FBI declined to comment.
Viginum’s report identified BlackCore-connected accounts that appeared to target John Swinney, Scotland’s First Minister. Swinney has characterized Gaza’s situation as a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe,” suggesting possible genocide based on civilian casualties, extensive destruction, and statements from Israeli officials.
Neither Swinney nor his Scottish National Party have responded to comment requests. Scottish election officials also have not returned inquiries.
Officials from Angola and Togo governments have similarly not responded to requests for comment.
Before eliminating its web presence following media inquiries, BlackCore promoted itself as “an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern sera of information warfare.” The company claimed to offer governments and political campaigns “cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools, and robust security to shape narratives.”
BlackCore has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
