Harriet Harman

The website hosted in California, Punternet.com essentially allows men to rate and compare prostitutes. According to the Times:

“She told a cheering conference hall in Brighton: “Surely it can’t be too difficult for the terminator to terminate PunterNet. If he doesn’t I’ve got a message for Arnie – I’ll be back!””

In England and Wales, prostitution (defined as the exchange of sexual services for money or goods) is legal for the client and prostitute when aged 18 or over, however it is illegal to solicit, pander and keep a brothel.

In response to Harman’s demands, the owner of the site has written an open letter to Harman.  Read it here. The writer defends his/her right to Freedom of Speech under the American Constitution and characterizes itself as fulfilling the demands of a free market economy:

“PunterNet was not the first, and is certainly not the only, website in the UK with the same subject matter. Rather than creating the demand for commercial sex, sites like PunterNet are a response to that demand, which has existed since the dawn of mankind and certainly long before the advent of the Internet!
One of the missions of PunterNet is education – to provide information and guidance in hopes that the commercial sex scene is limited to consenting adults and those who choose of their own free will to engage in it.”

However, Harman’s actions may have backfired as the owner claims that the publicity has increased traffic to the site:

“In closing, I would like to thank you for the huge influx of traffic to my website which your actions have caused. I am sure that the ladies who are a part of the PunterNet community thank you as well, as they will no doubt benefit financially from the many new clients who might otherwise never have found them.”