FlyRights has been revamped by the Sikh Coalition.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: In an effort to combat injustices often faced in airports across the country, a popular smartphone app developed by the Sikh coalition now has the ability to report discriminatory practices directly to US lawmakers.
An app called FlyRights, which was launched by the Sikh Coalition in April of 2012 with the idea being that anyone who has the app, regardless of their religion, can now instantly report the injustice to the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The launch of the revamped version of FlyRights comes just in time for the holiday season, which is traditionally when the most families travel.
The reason for upgrading FlyRights and give users a direct line – albeit a one-way line – of communication with their Congressmen is because, according to the app’s creators, roughly 20 times more complaints were registered through the app in 2012 than were actually reported to Congress by the DHS. The alarming disparity there prompted FlyRights and their partners, such as the Sikh Coalition, to look for a solution.
In a statement released by the Sikh Coalition in announcement of the FlyRights upgrade, Director of Programs Amardeep Singh said “FlyRights users have confirmed that we cannot simply trust the TSA to self-report on whether it is engaging in discrimination,” adding that a third party has become necessary to make sure the TSA holds itself up to standards.
The app, being called FlyRights 2.0 now to reflect its changes, also includes a feature that allows Sikhs to send notifications directly to each other, so if one person undergoes some kind of harassment with a TSA agent at an airport, he can tell other Sikhs at that airport about what is going on.
Since its inception last year, FlyRights has gotten the attention of both civilian users, which number close to 18,000, as well as lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Many in Congress have decried the fact that Muslims and Sikhs are often subjected to additional security screening because of their appearances, saying that often times the practice crosses the boundaries of simple civic duty and goes into an arena of blatant racism, but Congressional leaders and social activists have struggled to find a satisfactory middle ground.
The FlyRights upgrade announcement comes just a day after one of prominent Sikh model and actor Waris Ahluwalia’s Gap advertisement was defaced in New York City, prompting the company to change their Twitter heading to a picture of Ahluwalia to show their support for the Sikh community.