This white paper was commissioned by the Institute for Human Rights and Business. Its purpose is to provide a user-friendly overview of big data analytics, how it operates and is used in business settings, the issues and challenges that have accompanied its development, and the benefits and dangers it presents. It subsequently explores how the system can be improved and who should be responsible for it, using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as a guide for determining whether State governments or businesses should be responsible for implementing particular solutions. The resulting picture is of an industry shrouded by shadows, and a variety of business and legislative solutions that may mitigate the dangers posed by big data analytics by reducing the shadows and increasing transparency, user control, data security, and data controller accountability.