Israeli 'Influence-for-Hire' Firm Trained Angolan Officials in Fake News Campaigns

New research from the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab has revealed that BlackCore, an Israeli company describing itself as an 'influence, cyber, and technology firm', trained Angolan government officials to run coordinated online influence operations. What began as an advertised four-week training course on storytelling, copywriting and social media operations expanded into a 14-week program combining training with live operations, producing more than 40 pieces of content and campaigns across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

A key element of the operation was a fake media outlet called 'Agita News', operated via a Facebook page and linked external website, both now offline. Researchers say the goal was to promote 'positive government campaigns' portraying Angola's government favourably, rather than simply attacking opponents. BlackCore's own marketing claims it can supply clients with hundreds of fake personas across major platforms and can flood networks with coordinated messaging to shape public narratives.

While measuring real-world impact from influence campaigns is difficult, screenshots in BlackCore's own reporting showed some deceptive posts gaining close to 50,000 likes, a significant figure in a country with an estimated six million active Facebook users. The findings highlight how commercial firms are increasingly offering governments turnkey disinformation capabilities.