First Minister John Swinney has described as "deeply concerning" a report that an Israeli tech firm allegedly targeted him with online disinformation ahead of the Holyrood election.
The BBC reported that John Swinney and the SNP were allegedly targeted by accounts linked to BlackCore, a tech company that claims to "shape narratives".
A French government agency, Viginum, which detects disinformation, said hundreds of fake accounts had left co-ordinated comments on Swinney's social media posts.
The First Minister had described the conflict in Gaza as a "man-made humanitarian catastrophe" and claimed a genocide by Israel may be unfolding.
The SNP won their fifth consecutive election on May 7th, with Swinney re-elected as First Minister.
Swinney 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."
Reuters reported last month that French authorities suspected BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI) in local elections. Viginum produced a detailed report stating that the firm interfered in several countries with "digital interference operations".
