The BBC is reporting that Mr Justice Eady has rejected the case of a blogger to protect his anonymity. The Times wants to name the serving police officer, arguing that it is in the public interest to do so. The High Court has sided with the newspaper.

The consequences of this decision may be far reaching, and not just for Nightjack himself. The Orwell Prize winning blogger will no doubt face disciplinary action, and may even lose his job once his employers find out his identity - assuming they don't already know who he is.

But this ruling may also have implications for blog commenters who publish their comments anonymously. In theory, ISPs might in future be under an obligation to reveal their identities if required to do so as part of a legal case.