Which is why the system is set up so that if I go to the bank with this information and take money as you, I have stolen your identity and thus you are the victim and are responsible for the losses unless you fight back. Identity theft was created so financial institutions could be lax with their verification process thanks to the blame being shifted.
In reality, identify theft doesn't exist. In my example I stole from the bank, no you, and you shouldn't at all be involved in the process.
It definitely wasn't just "created" either. Pretending to be someone else to gain the benefits of their identity/reputation/privilege has always been around.
It is a requirement to register if requested, the fine for failing to do so is £80. However, it is always an option to not appear on the open register. The open register is publicly accessible, and being absent from it will not be detrimental to your credit rating.
But it will make identity checks with banks a little more complicated, normally they use the electoral register to confirm your address
Seems like your details can still be used for credit checks and fraud prevention (which I imagine covers confirming identities and addresses) even when you opt out[1].
[1] http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/faq/voting-and-registr...
Although they planned to change this if you ran ads on your site:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/11/nominet-ne...
- The year I was born
- The district I was born (not the exact town, although that wouldn't be hard to guess)
- My mother's maiden name (which is what most banks et al ask as a security question...)
- The areas I've lived (based upon the electoral register, which you can opt out of but supposedly this impacts your credit rating)
- That I am a director of a company
This is just what is available for free - you can get the full records this is extracted from by paying a small fee.
If you know the name of my company (which isn't hard to find out), you can also find for free:
- My full name
- My address
- My date of birth
- Roughly how much I make a year
TL;DR; If you rely on this to 'identify' someone, you are doing it wrong.