A new free online tool to help people protect themselves against identity theft has been launched as part of Privacy Awareness Week 2010.

A collaboration between the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA) of Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Korea, the tool will assist users to understand how at risk they are of having their identity stolen.

"Identity theft is an area of increasing concern and this easy to use tool will help people understand how at risk they may be," said Karen Curtis, the Australian Privacy Commissioner.

Available at www.privacyawarenessweek.org, the interactive tool is structured as a multiple choice quiz.  Users work through a series of questions on 11 different topics, such as how well they protect information in their wallet, their mailbox or on their computer.

The test includes questions such as "Do you:

• leave your laptop in the car?
• shred old mail with your name and details on?
• keep your user names and passwords secret?
• use a password on your mobile phone?
• let bar or restaurant staff take away your credit card?

Users receive a score indicating how open they are to identity theft and can then check out the simple tips on each topic to help protect themselves better in the future.

The tool has been launched as part of Privacy Awareness Week 2010, an Asia Pacific celebration aimed at raising awareness about privacy rights and responsibilities.  As members of APPA, the Victorian, NSW and Northern Territory Privacy Commissioners have also launched the tool in their jurisdictions.