Online dating has moved from being a niche activity to a part of everyday life. It is enjoyed daily by millions and is the largest single source of new relationships.

In summer 2013 a group of dating site providers in the UK decided that it was right to create a body that would allow the sector to work together on standards and speak as one voice with regulators, law enforcement agencies and others. Simply put, these services had come of age and needed to take some shared responsibility for the wellbeing of the sector and its users - and not just rely solely on the framework of privacy, data and consumer law to protect the market and those in it.