“Fake news sui candidati della France insoumise”: indagini su una società israeliana accusata di…
In March 2026, an Israeli cyber firm named BlackCore allegedly utilized deepfakes and coordinated misinformation to target French La France Insoumise candidates during municipal elections
- Incident date
- Mar 2026
- Target
- La France Insoumise (LFI) candidates: Francois Piquemal, Sebastien Delogu, and David Guiraud
Following the March 2026 municipal elections in France, investigations revealed that a mysterious Israeli cyber firm known as BlackCore conducted a pervasive misinformation campaign targeting candidates from the La France Insoumise (LFI) party. The operation, which involved the use of deepfakes, false criminal accusations, and coordinated social media activity, aimed to damage the political standing of candidates who held positions critical of Israeli policies.
What happened
The interference campaign specifically targeted LFI candidates Francois Piquemal in Toulouse, Sebastien Delogu in Marseille, and David Guiraud in Roubaix. According to reports from Viginum, the French governmental agency responsible for monitoring digital foreign interference, and investigations by news outlets such as Le Monde and Reuters, BlackCore utilized a sophisticated network of over 1,600 fake social media profiles to spread defamation and fake news.
The campaign employed multiple synthesis techniques, including the use of AI-generated images and deepfakes to discredit the candidates. In the case of Francois Piquemal, the interference included the release of private passwords, tax information, and home addresses shortly before the election, alongside targeted defamatory advertising on platforms like Vinted. These activities occurred despite the imposition of election silence periods.
BlackCore, which marketed itself as a firm specializing in modern information warfare, operated in synergy with other Tel Aviv-based tech companies, Galacticos and SNI Digital. While the Israeli government has denied knowledge of the firm, documentation reviewed by Reuters and Haaretz linked BlackCore to digital infrastructures developed in Israel. Meta subsequently removed a network of profiles and pages associated with the company for coordinated inauthentic behavior. French authorities are currently investigating potential ties between BlackCore’s operations and organizations like Elnet, as the political fallout continues to concern the LFI party ahead of upcoming presidential elections.