Celebrating Internet Innovators: New Inductees of the Internet Hall of Fame for 2025

Honoring the Trailblazers of the Internet

On September 17, 2025, the Internet Society proudly announced the latest inductees into the prestigious Internet Hall of Fame. This year's ceremony recognizes the remarkable achievements of eight individuals whose visionary work has significantly influenced the evolution and governance of the Internet. Their efforts span across different cultures, languages, and technical domains, showcasing a diverse array of contributions that have made the Internet more accessible and functional for billions globally.

Meet the 2025 Inductees

1. Ram Mohan

Mohan's career has been pivotal in advocating for universal Internet access. A key figure in transitioning the Internet from ASCII to Unicode, he enabled countless non-English speakers to communicate and share content in their native languages online. His collaborations with Arab language experts laid the groundwork for a more inclusive, multilingual Internet landscape.

2. Hyunje Park

As a pioneering TCP/IP engineer, Park marked a significant milestone in 1986 by registering South Korea's first IP address. Despite the challenges posed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, he played an instrumental role in bringing broadband to Korea in record time, paving the way for high-speed Internet access in the region.

3. Kirk Lougheed

Known for co-developing the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)—often referred to as the Internet's postal service—Lougheed’s contributions fundamentally transformed routing dynamics, allowing the Internet to expand from a few networks to an interconnected global framework utilized by billions today. His innovative thinking, sketched initially on napkins, set the stage for modern Internet routing.

4. Dong Liu

Liu has been a strong advocate for advancing Internet infrastructure by championing the global deployment of IPv6. He established the largest IPv6 testing laboratory and pioneered the first IPv6 public DNS resolver, significantly expanding the Internet's capacity. His work facilitates quicker, more affordable access for mobile devices, smart appliances, and cloud applications.

5. Patrik Fältström

A key player in internet interoperability, Fältström’s contributions include enabling the use of special characters in domain names and email addresses, fostering greater inclusivity in digital communication. His innovative work on Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and email attachment standards have been fundamental in allowing seamless interaction between varied computer systems.