WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAVY) — TikTok said it would go dark Sunday in the U.S. unless it gets more clarity from outgoing President Joe Biden and the Department of Justice regarding a ban scheduled to take effect. "The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans," the company said Friday in a post on X. "Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19." Norfolk ad agency says TikTok ban limits ‘creative expression’ The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Friday in upholding a law that requires TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the app or else face a ban set to take effect Sunday. supreme-court-tiktok-opinion-1-17-25Download The court found that the divest-or-ban law is not a First Amendment violation. It comes just days before President-elect Trump is set to take office. Trump had asked for a delay in the deadline in order to negotiate a deal, but the court went ahead and issued its ruling. Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban In a video response to the Supreme Court decision earlier Friday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said it had been fighting to protect free speech rights for the more than 170 million use the platform daily in the U.S. He had seemed hopeful of working with the incoming Trump administration on preserving access to TikTok for its U.S. users. "I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," he said. "This is a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship." Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he was pleased with the Supreme Court's ruling, though he said he did not want to see TikTok banned. Glad to see the Supreme Court confirm that it’s legal to compel a sale of TikTok. Let me be clear – I don’t want to see TikTok banned either, but we can’t allow it to continue under its current adversarial ownership. It must be sold to protect our data and national security.— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) January 17, 2025 Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Friday he plans to sue TikTok for allegedly misrepresenting harmful content and allowing the Chinese government access to its data. The lawsuit alleges that the TikTok app was designed intentionally to make young people addicted to it, and that the companies "deceived parents and Virginians about TikTok's content, including by claiming the app is appropriate for children over the age of 12 or rated T for Teen, in violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act." Miyares' lawsuit also aims to hold TikTok accountable for what he said is ByteDance's misleading the public on the app's connection to the Chinese government and Communist Party. “For years, TikTok has marketed itself to Virginians and Americans alike as a harmless, safe, and enjoyable social media app,” Miyares said in a statement. “Yet the facts of the matter are that TikTok harms our kids and exposes them to severe profanity, sexually explicit material, violence, mature themes and drug and alcohol content.” “Making matters worse, TikTok continues to misrepresent the potential for the Chinese government to access and exploit Virginians’ data. As the People’s Protector, I will use the Virginia Consumer Protection Act to shield all Virginians, and especially our children, from this deceptive and harmful conduct. TikTok has crossed a line, and today will be asked to pay a price.” Miyares applauded the Supreme Court's decision Friday. He had filed an amicus brief with the court in support of a federal statute to address what he said are the national security and data privacy threats TikTok poses.