FIRB has to approve any data center project where more than 10 percent of the facility is foreign-owned, and the AFR report said lobbying firm Anacta Strategies is working on behalf of TikTok to secure permission.

Multiple TikTok creators have taken to the platform to detail their experience of alleged racism while attending the 2025 TikTok Awards in Sydney last week. The discussion was launched on social media by creator Florence Baitio, who was nominated for Beauty and Fashion Creator of the Year at the event.

According to people aware of the negotiations, TikTok applied to FIRB last year and has been aiming to construct a 100 megawatt data centre in New South Wales or Victoria to support its Asia Pacific services. Operations would be handled by a local partner, with AirTrunk viewed as the likely operator.

“I hate when people spread untrue things about me,” the social media star said in a recent TikTok video in response to the claims

Aussie entertainment powerhouse and activist Abbie Chatfield has defended her partner, Adam Hyde, after people accused the singer of not standing up for Black creators at the TikTok Awards. The 2025 TikTok Awards have been embroiled in controversy after several Black creators claimed they were discriminated against at the show’s red carpet.