In September 2022, Health On the Net website pages included the advisory text "HON is no longer updated and will be permanently discontinued on December 15, 2022.

It holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and a special relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rather, the code only states that the site holds to the standards, so that readers can know the source and purpose of the medical information presented.

[13] Certified health pages have a statistically representative higher quality score than health websites that were not certified, with one going so far as to say that "the results of their analysis have shown a quality score that is statistically superior for HON-certified sites proving that even if it is imperfect, this label remains a coherent and trustworthy tool.” (Translated from the French: “Les résultats de notre analyse ont montré un score de qualité statistiquement supérieur pour les sites certifiés HON prouvant que, même si imparfait, ce label reste un outil cohérent et fiable.

The term "certification" can be misleading to the general public, as it can imply that the contents of the website are trustworthy, reliable or otherwise independent.

This is addressed at latest during the recertification process, or earlier if HON is notified that the site no longer meets certification standards.

The HONcode principles themselves are subject to criticism, with some experts indicating they are not adapted to modern Internet usages[17] [citation needed] and do not follow their own rules.

[18] [citation needed] In response to those limitations, one previously certified website has decided to no longer display the Health On the Net logo.

Consumer protection advocate Stephen Barrett has been a strong supporter of the HONcode and has made efforts to improve compliance with its rules and to expose those who misuse it.

A 2004 special supplement to The Washington Post provides coverage of his views on the subject, including suggested improvements and his criticisms of many named misusers.