May 17, 2012

With the release of the FlyRights phone application, the power to send a complaint to the Homeland Security and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) offices immediately after being unfairly flagged for a security check, has been placed at your fingertips.

SEE: "Ethnic Profiling by TSA? 'Fly Rights' App Made for Complaints" (ABC)

MPAC supported the created of the app by The Sikh Coalition, a civil rights advocacy group. It was launched as a defense for travelers, as well as a clear and accurate way to record racial, ethnic or religious harassment at American airports.

"FlyRights app will help us tell the government that profiling is still a reality for community members and is going to be an invaluable tool towards the efforts calling for TSA to institute measures to stop such discrimination," said Priya Murthy, of the South Asian Americans Leading Together, to CNN.

Although the TSA has maintained that it does not profile travelers based on “religion, ethnicity or race,” within the first night of the app being available, two complaints were filed.   

The app is free,and when opened, it will ask questions concerning the alleged abuse such as the airline, the airport, the flight number and even the badge number of the offending TSA agent.

The app’s goal is to make the process of filing a complaint easier and therefore more effective in combating TSA profiling.