Over Seas
Civil Rights Organizations come together to release FlyRights 2.0
November 28, 2013 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau
New York, United States (November 28, 2013): According to a recent newsletter released by the Sikh Coalition, the US based organization and a coalition of national civil rights organizations released FlyRights 2.0 on November 25, 2013. FlyRights 2.0 is an enhanced version of a mobile phone application that allows users to file complaints of TSA screening discrimination in real time..
According to the Sikh Coalition the free downloadable app called FlyRights lets travelers instantly send their concerns to the US Transportation Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Fly Rights 2.0
According to Amardeep Singh, director of Programs at Sikh Coalition: “FlyRights users have confirmed that we cannot simply trust the TSA to self-report on whether it is engaging in discrimination”.
“An independent auditor should review and publicly report on the TSA’s screening practises. Only then will we know whether the TSA is remaining true to its own anti-discrimination polices. Until that happens, we call on the public to hold the TSA accountable by downloading and using FlyRights,” Amardeep Singh said.
The updated “FlyRights 2.0” also allows passengers to send copies of their complaints to their members of Congress, and it features maps that show which airports have the most troubling records.
The move has reportedly been welcomed by US lawmakers.
“Airport safety measures based on someone’s race, gender or faith are not safety measures at all – they alienate targeted communities and make victims out of travelers,” said Congresswoman Judy Chu.
“The new FlyRights mobile app being introduced Wednesday will empower travellers to fight back against profiling with new tools,” she reportedly added.
“A process for travellers to submit complaints can provide recourse while helping improve TSA’s performance,” said Congressman John Mica, former Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and current senior member of the Committee.
“Since the launch of the app, reports of racial profiling and discrimination to the TSA have increased almost 20 fold,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
The app was first launched in April 2012 and since then some 18,000 people have downloaded it.
“While the app was launched to address the pervasive profiling that happens to Sikhs, South Asians, and Muslims, it has been embraced and used by African Americans, wheelchair users, women, Hispanics, and many others,” the lawmaker said.
FlyRights 2.0 also contains “user notifications” that will allow the Sikh Coalition to send messages and news about airport screening issues directly to users.
The Sikh Coalition has urged the people to download FlyRights 2.0 during this holiday season and file complaints of discrimination when appropriate.
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Related Topics: FlyRights 2.0, Sikh Diaspora, Sikhs in United States, The Sikh Coalition, United States of America
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