Elected to the Internet Hall of Fame

In 2012, Elizabeth Feinler was elected to the Internet Hall of Fame, an honor established by the Internet Society to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the development, growth, and evolution of the global internet. Her induction formally recognized decades of foundational work that many internet users remain unaware of, despite relying daily on systems she helped create.

The Hall of Fame recognition specifically honored her leadership of the ARPANET and later Defense Data Network Network Information Centers, her role in developing early naming and directory conventions, and her contributions to what would become the Domain Name System and the WHOIS protocol. Her work bridged the gap between the internet's origins as a small research network and its emergence as global infrastructure.

This honor placed Feinler alongside other internet pioneers such as Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, and Tim Berners-Lee, acknowledging that the internet's success depended not only on protocol design and hardware engineering but also on the organizational and information-management systems that made the network usable and navigable for its growing community of participants.

Though the exact presentation date of her induction is not documented in the supplied sources, the 2012 Internet Hall of Fame honor represents one of the most significant formal recognitions of Feinler's legacy, cementing her place in the historical record as one of the internet's essential — if often under-credited — founding figures.