Health On the Net Foundation

The Health On the Net Foundation (HON) was a Swiss non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and reliability of health information on the internet. Founded in 1995 and based in Geneva, it was a pioneer in digital health ethics, most notably through its HONcode certification—a voluntary code of conduct for medical and health websites. The foundation provided tools such as the HONcodeHunt search engine and collaborated with international bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations. After over 25 years of operation, the foundation permanently discontinued its activities and decommissioned its website in December 2022. Its legacy remains as one of the first and most widely recognized standards for online health transparency.