I little worried about giving my SSN over the Internet. Is it safe? And at what point will they require the SSN?
The only time they even use your SSN is if and when you earn $600 or more on affiliate sales. Otherwise, it stays in their system. But then, I have an EIN (employer identification number) to punch in instead of my SSN.
Yes, they are reputable, but I understand your concerns over security. Nowadays so many people require a SSN that you don't know where any violations occurred.
It is never safe to give out your SSN ANYWHERE! Unfortunately, government often requires it and seems insensitive to dangers of id theft. Unfortunately, the IRS is "cracking down" on the Internet, which means they are forcing the money payers to gather data about tax payers... which means SSN as id (in most cases). I HATE it! But, if you are going to use these companies, then it is necessary. The risk is actually not with the Internet (make sure the submittal page is HTTPS and not HTTP), it is still with the old world problem of people. That is, employees of the company, or sloppy data management. Also, I am reluctant to give out id info out of the USA. Foreigners can be more bold because it is more difficult for the legal system to touch them. And, of course, watch out for "Phishing" schemes... those emails that pretend to be legit and ask for private id info. Anyhow, CJ should be reputable. They have been around a long time. Good Luck!
Started working with cj about a year ago and they are pretty awesome. They always pay on time and have great customer service, i really recommend about being their affiliate...
A simple, practical technique to use to spare yourself from using a SSN, in those instances where you can sign up as a non-US affiliate, is to just get an off-shore mailing address, and sign up for the affiliate programs under that address. That way the disclosure is cut off at the pass. No SSN/TIN is asked for in that case, although you will have to get any checks received forwarded to your actual address.