Avisa Partners is a French firm involved in lobbying,

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

and

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

competitive intelligence Competitive intelligence (CI) is the process and forward-looking practices used in producing knowledge about the competitive environment to improve organizational performance. Competitive intelligence involves systematically collecting and anal ...

, and online influence. It was created in 2010 and evolved from predecessors including iStrat and a 2018 merger between ''Demeter'', ''Lexfo'' and Avisa. 2022 investigations by ''

Mediapart ''Mediapart'' () is an independent nonprofit French Investigative journalism, investigative online newspaper created in 2008 by Edwy Plenel, former editor-in-chief of . It is published in French language, French, English language, English, and ...

'', ''

Marianne Marianne () has been the national personification of the French Republic since the French Revolution, as a personification of liberty, equality, fraternity and reason, as well as a portrayal of the Goddess of Liberty. Marianne is displayed i ...

'', , ''

Libération (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...

'', and ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'' revealed Avisa Partners' activities in publishing ghostwritten articles and intervening in Wikipedia to promote the interests of its clients and to criticise clients' adversaries, giving rise to accusations of information manipulation.

Creation and growth

Avisa Partners was created in 2010 by Matthieu Creux and Arnaud Dassier under the name iStrat. It was subsequently rebranded to Demeter Partners, and was reorganised as Avisa Partners in 2018 by a merger between Demeter Partners, cybersecurity firm Lexfo and the Belgian public affairs company Avisa Partners. Around 2019, Avisa Partners bought the German firm ''International Dialogue Advisors (IDA) Group'', the London firm ''Gabara Strategies Ltd'', and opened an office in Washington, D.C. That same year, Raise Investissement and Rive Croissance acquired a stake of 25% in Avisa Partners, at a valuation of million. In 2020, Avisa purchased ''Compagnie européenne d'intelligence stratégique''. In 2021, Avisa bought ''Observatoire des pays arabes''. In November 2021, Avisa purchased ''35°Nord'', a group involved in providing advice and information for businesses and politicians in relation to Africa. In 2022, Avisa Partners bought ''Databack'', involved in recovering data lost in cyberattacks, and ''LeakID'', involved in tracing illegal

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...

Leadership and structure

Avisa Partners was created in its early format as ''iStrat'' by Matthieu Creux and Arnaud Dassier.

Olivia Grégoire Olivia Grégoire (; born 30 September 1978) is a French politician of Renaissance (RE) who has been serving as Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises, Trade, Crafts and Tourism under President Emmanuel Macron since 2022. Grégoire previou ...

, a minister of the French government in 2022, was co-leader of iStrat during 2013–2014. Grégoire stated that she had had no responsibility for the content published by iStrat. ''

'' stated that former iStrat writers disagreed, describing Grégoire as having supervised the creation of articles under fake profiles.

Activities

Lobbying

For the 2021 calendar year, Avisa Partners declared in lobbying costs to

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) institutions, with 21 half-time lobbyists employed. Its most costly EU actions in 2021 were for

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

and

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...

on issues including the

European Green Deal The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate meri ...

and the

Fit for 55 Fit for 55 is a package by the European Union designed to reduce the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. It is part of the union's strategy of the European Green Deal presented first in December 2019. The package was propos ...

plan for greenhouse gas emission reduction. Avisa spent lobbying in the United States in 2021. Avisa Partners describes its specialties in which it "claim real expertise: competition, trade, regulatory affairs (e.g. digital and media, energy, environment, telecommunications, financial services and corporate social responsibility), online advocacy and cyber-security".

Cybersecurity and copyright

Avisa Partners is involved, through its components Databack and LeakID, in

and

. As of 2022, it had been involved in recovering patient data for a hospital in the town of

Dax The DAX (''Deutscher Aktienindex'' (German stock index); ) is a stock market index consisting of the 40 major German blue chip companies trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is a total return index. Prices are taken from the Xetra t ...

and in protecting the copyright of broadcasting a ''Champions League'' competition. The organisation carries out data recovery activities for targets of

ransomware Ransomware is a type of malware that Encryption, encrypts the victim's personal data until a ransom is paid. Difficult-to-trace Digital currency, digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies are com ...

. In mid 2022, from a quarter to half of Avisa Partners' revenue flow was from cybersecurity and copyright-related activities, according to the organisation.

Conference organising

, Avisa Partners is involved in organising the ''Forum international de la cybersécurité'', an international conference on the topic of cybersecurity, together with the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie ( ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister ...

, one of the two national-level French law enforcement agencies.

Competitive intelligence

In addition to cybersecurity, Avisa Partners carries out

. Avisa Partners describes its specialties in which it "claim real expertise: competition, trade, regulatory affairs (e.g. digital and media, energy, environment, telecommunications, financial services and corporate social responsibility), online advocacy and cyber-security".

Fake online commentary

Club Med takeover bids

In January 2015, during takeover bids for

Club Med Club Med SAS, commonly known as Club Med and previously known as Club Méditerranée SA, is a French travel and tourism operator headquartered in Paris, specializing in all-inclusive holidays. Founded in 1950, the company has been primarily ow ...

Fosun International Fosun International Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate holding company. Founded in 1992 by Guo Guangchang and four others, the company is headquartered in Shanghai and was incorporated in Hong Kong in 2004. Its Co-CEOs are Chen ...

and Andrea Bonomi, ' (''JDN'') found that a fake personality of a financial analyst, "Marc Fortin", had been created on ''JDN'''s own site and had analysed and criticised Bonomi's takeover bid. The fake personality had used a Twitter account, profiles on

LinkedIn LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented Social networking service, social network. It was launched on May 5, 2003 by Reid Hoffman and Eric Ly. Since December 2016, LinkedIn has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft. ...

and

Google+ Google+ (sometimes written as Google Plus, stylized as G+ or g+) was a Social networking service, social network owned and operated by Google until it ceased operations in 2019. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challe ...

, a fake management diploma and work record. ''JDN'' traced similar fake accounts attacking Bonomi on '' Les Echos'' and ''

''. ''JDN'''s analysis including tracing the

IP address An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is assigned to a device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface i ...

used to create the ''JDN'' fake analyst, and accused iStrat, as Avisa Partners was called at the time, and its owners Matthieu Creux and Arnaud Dassier of being responsible. Creux and Dassier denied the claim. ''JDN'' listed articles of the

French criminal code The French criminal code () is the codification of French criminal law (). It took effect March 1, 1994 and replaced the French Penal Code of 1810, which had until then been in effect. This in turn has become known as the "old penal code" in t ...

in relation to the creation of false identities and distributing false information in relation to financial markets. IStrat stated that it would take legal action against anyone propagating "the false claims". '' Challenges'' stated that it too had unwittingly allowed fake personalities to publish critical commentary in relation to the Club Med takeover bids. ''Challenges'' interviewed Arnaud Dassier, who stated that neither Fosun International nor its affiliated companies were clients of iStrat, and that he had no opinion on people who published online commentary under faked names.

Julien Fomenta Rosat

In June 2022, Julien Fomenta Rosat (a pseudonym) published a description in of how, starting in 2015, he had ghostwritten 595 articles on economics, energy geopolitics, renewable energy, health advice,

glyphosate Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by EPSP inhibitor, inhibiting the plant enzyme 5-en ...

, and as a legal expert and risk auditor, based on no research or expertise in the subjects, for iStrat known under an alternative name, ''Maelstrom Media''. His ghostwritten articles were mostly published under fake names. Some were signed by politicians or company executives. Pay rates started at per article and successively increased to to per article after a few years. On the topic of glyphosate, Rosat was commissioned to write articles in favour of glyphosate and discrediting the

International Agency for Research on Cancer The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC; ) is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organization of the United Nations. Its role is to conduct and coordinate research into the causes of cancer. It also cance ...

. IStrat hid its true name and its employees' names from Rosat. Rosat stated that he felt more and more uncomfortable with his ghostwriting. He investigated his employer and found ''JDN'''s 2015 article on iStrat, and inferred that "MM", to which he addressed the invoices for his ghostwritten articles, was iStrat/Maelstrom Media. Rosat's employer requested him to prepare an article attacking journalist

François Ruffin François Marcel Joseph Bernard Ruffin (; born 18 October 1975) is a French journalist, filmmaker, author and politician. The editor-in-chief of the satirical quarterly ''Fakir'', which he founded, he is best known for directing the 2016 film ' ...

, known for directing the film '' Merci patron!'', critical of the French businessman

Bernard Arnault Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (; born 5 March 1949) is a French businessman, investor, and art collector. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault is one of the richest individuals in the ...

. Rosat cooperated with , founded by Ruffin, letting ''Fakir'' ghostwrite the article attacking Ruffin. The article was published under the pseudonym "Kevin, political writer" with a photo from an

image bank Stock photography is the supply of photographs that are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macrostock photography, midstock photography, ...

. Rosat compared an identity number on the invoice for the article with identity numbers on previous articles he had written for iStrat, and inferred that the client ordering the article attacking Ruffin was likely to be Arnault. Rosat quit his work for iStrat/Maelstrom Media at the end of 2021, when he talked to journalist Sylvain Pak about his ghostwriting for the firm.

Mediapart

'' stated that 634 blog articles by 100 fake author profiles had been published in its user-contributed content by Avisa Partners. The aims of the blogs were to describe Avisa's clients positively or to denigrate opponents.

Uber files

According to ''

'',

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

hired iStrat to manipulate public debate in 2014. Uber Files documents show that iStrat published 19 fake articles on 13 websites, including ''Challenge'', ''Les Echos'', ''Le Journal du Net'' and ''Mediapart'', during November and December 2014, while a legal case concerning ''UberPop'' was being considered by the

Tribunal de commerce de Paris The Tribunal de commerce de Paris ("Paris commercial court ouse), until 1968 Tribunal de commerce de la Seine, refers both to the tribunal de commerce of Paris, a commercial court, and to the building that hosts it on the Île de la Cité in Pa ...

Wikipedia

In July 2022, Avisa Partners was found to have intervened in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia on behalf of the president of the

Republic of Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

Denis Sassou Nguesso Denis Sassou Nguesso (born 23 November 1943) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who has served as president of the Republic of the Congo since 1997. He also previously served as president from 1979 to 1992. Sassou Nguesso he ...

and for

CAC 40 The CAC 40 () () is a Benchmark (computing), benchmark French stock market index. The index represents a capitalization-weighted measure of the 40 most significant stocks among the 100 largest market capitalization, market caps on the Euronext Pa ...

businesspeople.

Fake news websites

According to ''

'', Avisa Partners bought or created three news websites dedicated to fake articles: ''Monde de l'énergie'', ''Revue Internationale'', and ''Raison d'être''.

Clients

Clients of Avisa Partners have included the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

, the French Ministry of Armed Forces,

businesses including

and

Société Générale Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English-speaking countries as SocGen (), is a French multinational universal bank and financial services company founded in 1864. It is registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby i ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, and president of the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo), is a country located on the western coast of Central ...

, described by ''

'' as a dictator.

Relations with secret services

Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris by Jeune Afrique Media Group. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It o ...

'' stated in 2021 that Avisa Partners had regular meetings with the

Directorate-General for External Security The Directorate-General for External Security (, , DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 27 November 1943. The DGSE safeguards French national security through intelli ...

, France's foreign intelligence agency, for preventing Avisa's actions in Africa from conflicting with those of the French government.

References

External links

*{{official website French propaganda organisations Organizations based in Paris French companies established in 2010 Consulting firms established in 2010 Lobbying organizations in Europe Conflict-of-interest editing on Wikipedia Corruption in France Fake news Ghostwriting Political history of the Republic of the Congo Competitive intelligence 2022 controversies