--- title: "ODDA — Trade Body Profile | DII | Dating Industry Insights" url: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/odda description: "Online Dating and Discovery Association representing 300+ member companies. Industry standards body shaping regulation and best practices in online dating." lang: en-GB --- Trending Club Introductions' Mid-Market Gamble: Filling America's Matchmaking Gap: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/club-introductions-affordable-matchmaking-us | Match Group's Upward Pivot: A Bet on Intent Over Identity: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/christian-dating-app-upward-marriage-focus | Dating Apps' Safety Crisis: A Regulatory Reckoning Looms: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/99-percent-women-abuse-dating-platforms | Facebook Dating's Quiet Dominance: A Free Model Disrupts Paid Platforms: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/facebook-dating-gains-ground-dating-apps | Australia's Digital Duty of Care: A Death Knell for Self-Regulation in Dating Apps: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/australia-new-duty-care-dating-apps Image: ODDA logo (https://img.logo.dev/theodda.org?token=pk_K6hdbPRcTQSnsRNEiZ-Ymg&size=128&format=png&fallback=monogram) # ODDA Trade Body The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) is an industry trade body and standards organization founded in 2014 when a coalition of leading dating platforms recognized the need for sector-wide coordination on trust & safety standards, regulatory advocacy, and interoperability with law enforcement and regulatory authorities. ODDA was established with a mission to speak as one voice on behalf of the online dating and social discovery sectors with regulators, policymakers, and law enforcement agencies globally, providing industry-wide coordination that individual companies could not accomplish independently. The association was rebranded in January 2024 from the Online Dating Association (ODA) to the Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) to reflect the expansion of the sector beyond traditional dating into broader social discovery, friendship, and community connection applications that were previously categorized separately. ODDA represents over 300 member brands globally with international membership spanning Europe, the United States, and the Far East, collectively encompassing the vast majority of significant dating platforms, technology providers, and adjacent service providers in the sector. The organization operates on principles of trust & safety, honesty & clarity, and user privacy protection as foundational commitments, establishing standards, best practices, and compliance frameworks that member organizations agree to uphold regarding user protection, data handling, and community safety. ODDA's activities encompass regulatory advocacy, industry collaboration on shared challenges (bot detection, fraud prevention, consent standards), safety guideline development, training for law enforcement agencies on online dating sector dynamics, and public education initiatives. The association maintains distinct offerings for consumer-facing information and education versus industry-facing standards, advocacy, and business development, positioning itself as the authoritative voice for the online dating industry in regulatory consultations and policy discussions affecting the sector. UK Founded 2013 Website (https://theodda.org/)LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/online-dating-discovery-association/) George Kidd Former CEO: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/george-kidd SN Simon Newman Chief Executive Officer https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/simon-newman Jessica Alderson Co-Founder & CEO: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/jessica-alderson Michael O'Sullivan Founder & CEO: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/michael-osullivan View all (4) → News Coverage ## ODDA Key People SN Jessica Alderson Co-Founder & CEO: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/jessica-alderson Michael O'Sullivan Founder & CEO: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/people/michael-osullivan ## Latest ODDA News View all coverage → (https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news?company=odda) ### ODDA Loses Chair Amid Regulatory Storm: Leadership Void or Strategic Reset? Jessica Alderson resigned as ODDA Chair after just 16 months, with no successor named and no public explanation provided ODDA faces unprecedented regulatory pressure from the UK's Online Safety Act, E… Regulatory Monitor 3 Aug 2026 https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/jessica-alderson-steps-down-odda-chair ### Ross Williams publishes documents rebutting HubPeople claims over Venntro member database Williams has broken a two-year silence with a document-backed account of the collapse of Ambervine's partnership with HubPeople, disputing who owned 14.5 million member records and who ended up out of pocket. Regulatory Monitor 29 Jul 2026 https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/ross-williams-hubpeople-venntro-database-rebuttal ### ODDA's Veriff Partnership: A Preemptive Strike on Compliance ODDA has granted associate partner status to Veriff, an Estonian identity verification provider processing over 12,500 document types since 2015 Per-verification costs typically range from $0.50 to $2… Regulatory Monitor 13 Jul 2026 https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/veriff-joins-online-dating-association ### AI Romance Scams Expose Dating Apps' Verification Failures UK victims of romance scams lose between £10,000 and £15,000 on average per case, according to Action Fraud BioCatch reports a 63% increase in romance scams between 2024 and 2025 Fraudsters can now pr… Regulatory Monitor 7 Jul 2026 https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/susub-odda-report-ai-romance-fraud ### Michael O'Sullivan's Playbook: Can White-Label Apps Survive the AI Era? HubPeople's white-label platform powers approximately 4,000 dating apps that have collectively generated over $100 million in revenue Average revenue per app works out to roughly $25,000, revealing th… Community & Directory 3 Jul 2026 https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/news/hubpeople-founder-guide-growing-dating-apps ## Companies Similar to ODDA IDEA Awards Trade Body: https://www.datingindustryinsights.com/companies/idea-awards ## Structured data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "name": "ODDA", "url": "https://theodda.org", "description": "The Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) is an industry trade body and standards organization founded in 2014 when a coalition of leading dating platforms recognized the need for sector-wide coordination on trust & safety standards, regulatory advocacy, and interoperability with law enforcement and regulatory authorities. 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