June 26, 2013

The Internet Society has announced the names of 32 individuals who have been selected for induction into the 2013 Internet Hall of Fame. Honored for their groundbreaking contributions to the global Internet, this year’s inductees comprise some of the world’s most influential engineers, activists, and entrepreneurs. Read the full press release here.

“This year’s inductees represent a group of people as diverse and dynamic as the Internet itself,” noted Internet Society President and CEO Lynn St. Amour. “As some of the world’s leading thinkers, these individuals have pushed the boundaries of technological and social innovation to connect the world and make it a better place.”

Over the next 12 months, the Internet Hall of Fall editorial staff will chronicle the historic contributions of these individuals in a series of exclusive interviews and profiles that will be featured in this column.

Today’s inductees were supposed to be announced at an awards ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, but the ceremony was postponed due to recent protests and the resulting unpredictable environment in that region. The Internet Society has rescheduled the ceremony for 3 August in Berlin; viewers can sign up here to watch the event live.

Internet Hall of Fame inductees fall into three categories: Pioneers were integral to the early design of the Internet; Innovators built on that foundation through technological, commercial or policy advances; and Global Connectors helped expand the Internet’s growth and use around the world. Comprising these categories, the 2013 inductees are:

Pioneers

David Clark

Significant contributions to early Internet protocols and architecture

David Farber

Instrumental in developments of the early Internet; created the first operational Distributed Computer System

Howard Frank

Co-wrote proposal that won contract to design network structure for the ARPAnet

Kanchana Kanchanasut

Brought the Internet to Thailand

J.C.R. Licklider (posthumous)

Championed the vision of a world-wide computer network

Bob Metcalfe

Led the invention, standardization, and commercialization of the Ethernet

Jun Murai

Developed the first inter-university network in Japan and considered Father of the Internet in Japan

Kees Neggers

Instrumental in the development of the Internet in the Netherlands

Nii Quaynor

Pioneered Internet development and expansion throughout Africa

Glenn Ricart

Set up the first Internet Exchange Point

Robert Taylor

Leader in the development of modern computing technology and computer networks

Steve Wolff

Developed first open computer network in the U.S. to support research and higher education

Werner Zorn

Led team that created infrastructure to connect Germany to the Internet

Connectors



Karen Banks

Networking leader who used information and communications technologies and applications as tools for social change

Gihan Dias

Instrumental in establishing the academic Internet and first email system in Sri Lanka

Anriette Esterhuysen

Helped establish email and Internet connectivity in Southern Africa

Steve Goldstein

Guided the connection of approximately 25 countries to NSFNET, including those in Europe, Latin America and east Asia.

Teus Hagen

Initiated European Unix User Group and started EUnet

Ida Holz

Instrumental in development of first networks that underpinned the Internet in Latin America

Qiheng Hu

Led the NCFC project team to bring the Internet to mainland China

Haruhisa Ishida (posthumous)

Leader in introducing UNIX computing and internetworking to Japan

Barry Leiner (posthumous)

Envisioned and helped establish Internet Activities Board, which led the effort to set Internet technical standards

George Sadowsky

Aided in deployment of information technology to more than 50 developing countries

Innovators



Marc Andreessen

Co-authored the first widely-used browser, Mosaic, and co-founded Netscape

John Perry Barlow

Co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Francois Flückiger

Convened meeting that led to Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE), and contributed to the creation of the pan-European Internet backbone

Stephen Kent

A leader in the architecture of network security systems

Anne-Marie Eklund Löwinder

Innovator in implementation of DNS Security Extensions technology and usage procedures

Henning Schulzrinne

Co-developed protocols that are used by almost all Internet telephony and multimedia applications

Richard Stallman

Founded the Free Software Foundation

Aaron Swartz (posthumous)

Co-authored version of RSS, co-owner of Reddit, and early architect of Creative Commons

Jimmy Wales

Fueled the user collaboration and sharing trend as founder of Wikipedia

By Internet Hall of Fame Editorial Staff