As Privacy Awareness Week (2-8 May) commences for 2010, the Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, is calling on all Australians to take practical steps to protect their privacy.

"The week is all about raising awareness of individuals' privacy rights and educating people about what they can do to ensure that their personal information is safe and secure," Ms Curtis said.

The theme of the week is "Privacy: It's in your hands!"  During the week, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner is releasing a number of educational products and advice for people, including guidance on mobile phone use and ID scanning in pubs and clubs.

"As technology develops and becomes more sophisticated, people should be aware that there are both privacy risks and opportunities to protect personal information," Ms Curtis said.

The week's events will start on Monday (3 May) with the release of an online tool that allows individuals to find out how at risk they are to ID theft.  The tool will be available at: www.privacyawarenessweek.org.

Materials for organisations will also be launched during the week, including a practical guide that will allow businesses to assess the privacy impacts of new initiatives, projects and systems.

"Generally, there is a good level of compliance with the Privacy Act by organisations, but people shouldn't hesitate to ask organisations about how their personal information will be handled," Ms Curtis said.

For the full Privacy Awareness Week schedule of activities, visit www.privacyawarenessweek.org/australia.html.