BlackCore allegedly ran influence campaign for Angola

Research from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab indicates that BlackCore, an Israeli influence-for-hire firm, conducted a 14-week campaign to train Angolan government officials in online influence operations.

The program, which ran from January to April 2026, aimed to replace “amateur production practices” with a professionalized architecture for state communications. According to documents obtained by researchers, the training covered storytelling, copywriting, traffic management, and social media operations. The campaign utilized Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to promote narratives intended to portray the Angolan government in a positive light.

A central component of the operation involved a fictitious media outlet called “Agita News,” which operated via a Facebook page and an external website. Both have since been taken offline. Researchers identified the use of artificial personas and AI-generated content to manage accounts and distribute material. BlackCore’s marketing materials have previously claimed capabilities to provide clients with hundreds of fake personas, or “avatars,” to flood platforms with coordinated messaging and counter unwanted narratives.