Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year's election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday.
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year’s election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday.
A researcher for Microsoft-owned (MSFT.O) LinkedIn said Black Cube, based in Israel, created a network of fake personas that used bogus job postings to connect with their targets on the platform.
Politico has reported that Black Cube has previously been accused of interfering with Hungary’s 2018 elections after undercover operatives secretly taped NGO leaders at upscale restaurants and published the footage on right-wing news outlets.
The operation attributed to Black Cube by LinkedIn began in 2020 and targeted at least 12 activists and journalists who have been critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
One of the targets of the hidden camera campaign, former director of Amnesty International Hungary Orsolya Jeney, said the footage received wide coverage ahead of the vote.
Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute and another one of those targeted, said he had no idea whether the campaign played a role in helping Orban win, but he said the operation was “telling when it comes to the overall atmosphere in Hungary.”
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Private spy firm Black Cube was behind a hidden video campaign that used LinkedIn to target Hungarian activists and journalists leading to last year’s election in the central European country, the professional networking site said on Thursday.
A researcher for Microsoft-owned (MSFT.O) LinkedIn said Black Cube, based in Israel, created a network of fake personas that used bogus job postings to connect with their targets on the platform.
Politico has reported that Black Cube has previously been accused of interfering with Hungary’s 2018 elections after undercover operatives secretly taped NGO leaders at upscale restaurants and published the footage on right-wing news outlets.
The operation attributed to Black Cube by LinkedIn began in 2020 and targeted at least 12 activists and journalists who have been critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
One of the targets of the hidden camera campaign, former director of Amnesty International Hungary Orsolya Jeney, said the footage received wide coverage ahead of the vote.
Dalibor Rohac, senior fellow at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute and another one of those targeted, said he had no idea whether the campaign played a role in helping Orban win, but he said the operation was “telling when it comes to the overall atmosphere in Hungary.”
The original article contains 464 words, the summary contains 211 words. Saved 55%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!