The Scottish National Party (SNP) has revealed that it was subjected to an "unprecedented" wave of AI-powered bot attacks during the recent Holyrood election campaign. This disclosure comes in the wake of allegations that an Israeli technology firm, BlackCore, attempted to "smear" First Minister John Swinney.
BlackCore Accused of Orchestrating Disinformation Campaign
Accounts linked to BlackCore, a company that claims to "shape narratives," are said to have targeted Swinney and the SNP with a coordinated social media disinformation campaign. The French government's disinformation monitoring agency, Viginum, reported that the firm attempted to smear pro-Palestine election candidates. According to Viginum, hundreds of fake accounts left comments on Swinney and the SNP's social media posts after the First Minister warned that a genocide might be unfolding in Gaza.
SNP Response to the Attacks
In a statement, the SNP said: "Any interference in our democratic process must be thoroughly investigated. That responsibility lies with the Westminster government. Over the course of the Scottish election campaign, the SNP observed that posts across our social media platforms were subject to an unprecedented level of negative reactions and comments from accounts which appeared to be AI-generated bots. However, the SNP’s people-powered digital campaign, focused on the people of Scotland’s priorities, gathered authentic support from communities across Scotland to counter these AI-generated attacks and help secure a historic landslide victory."
Swinney Calls for Urgent Action
John Swinney expressed being "deeply concerned" by the French findings and urged the UK Government to take "urgent steps… to counter the threat of foreign online political interference." It remains unclear who commissioned BlackCore to orchestrate the alleged campaign.
Viginum Investigation
Viginum, which was investigating election interference in France, discovered that Scotland had been targeted between January 6 and May 8. The French government has asked Israel for an explanation of BlackCore’s actions and for assistance in identifying the sponsor of the campaign.
Related Developments
This controversy follows the jailing of four Palestine Action activists for a combined 22 years after causing £1.2 million in damage at a UK site of an Israel-based defense firm. This case marks the first time convictions for criminal damage have been classified as terrorism-related, following Labour ministers' proscription of Palestine Action. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell called the sentences "truly shocking," stating, "To impose years of imprisonment for protesting to save lives in Gaza is unjust, especially sentencing on terrorist grounds they were never convicted of by a jury." An estimated 70,000 Gazans have been killed in Israel's war.
