John Swinney targeted by Israeli-linked disinformation campaign during Holyrood election, French agency claims
Mr Swinney’s social media accounts were hit by 1,400 coordinated comments from 256 fake social media accounts
Scotland's First Minister John Swinney was targeted by an Israeli firm spreading online disinformation during the Holyrood election campaign, according to a French government agency.
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Mr Swinney’s social media accounts, as well as those of his party and the Scottish Government, were hit by 1,400 coordinated comments from 256 fake social media accounts.
The French cybersecurity agency Viginum uncovered the targeting when it was looking into the spread of disinformation in French mayoral elections.
Its report accuses an Israel-based tech firm called Blackcore of unleashing the social media bots, with the French government accusing the company of conducting “smear campaigns” against left-wing, pro-Palestine candidates.
It found similar activity when it came to Scotland and other countries, including Angola, Togo and even the New York mayoral election when Zohan Mamdani was elected.
The report states that Blackcore ran "digital interference operations” including "inauthentic accounts" on social media, which would coordinate online comments on the profiles of John Swinney, the SNP and the Scottish Government.
It says: "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)."
LBC contacted Viginum but the agency was unable to give names of the fake accounts or say what exactly they were attempting to do in Scotland.
However, John Swinney has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, and has supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
And the SNP confirmed with LBC that it had noticed posts across its social media platforms being “subject to an unprecedented level of negative reactions and comments from accounts which appeared to be AI-generated bots”.
Today, John Swinney said the French report was “deeply concerning”.
He added: “Online disinformation and misinformation are a real and present threat to our democracy.
“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 in this way.
“That begins with the UK Government, which has responsibility for national security, making dealing with hostile state online interference a far higher priority, as per Sir Philip Rycroft’s recommendation.”
Last month, news agency Reuters revealed that French authorities suspected BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting three mayoral candidates in local elections.
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 era 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."