Affiliate networks always ask for social security number and other personal information when applying and I've always been cautious about this. I understand it may be for tax and fraud purposes but how can you trust them with such sensitive information?
They ask for SSNs?
I'm from NZ so not really used to that, but am used to them asking for Tax IDs and this is perfectly normal.
Particularly because they will usually pay to your business name rather than a personal name.
It's on your best interest to have all i's dotted and t's crossed with things like W-8BEN and W-9 forms.
If you have a registered company (which you should) then you can use the EIN (employer identification number) instead of your SSN.
I don't have a EIN yet. so it is highly suggested that I do apply for one correct? I have used ssn before when applying. Should I be very worried about them misusing my information?
you can get an EIN online in a few minutes completely for free, so yes I suggest doing so. I wouldnt worry about them misusing your info necessarily, it's just better (for tax purposes) to run things through your EIN which is tied to your company instead of yourself directly
Okay great! So I took a look and there are different types of Ein. Would a sole proprietorship be the type usually to apply for with Affiliate marketing?