The three biggest private employers in North America are Walmart, Amazon, and a security firm you’ve maybe never heard of: Allied Universal. Time’s Alana Semuels explains the rise of poorly trained and poorly paid private security guards across America.This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Michael Raphael, and hosted by Noel King.Transcript at vox.com/todayexplainedSupport Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you shop, your data may be the most valuable thing for sale. The podcast explores the hidden costs of online and offline shopping. Meta Brown, a data scientist, reveals the information Amazon captures about you. Joseph Turow discusses how retailers strip us of privacy. Alana Semuels talks about becoming a hoarder with online shopping. The podcast also explores a college coffee shop where you can buy a drink with your data.