#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has halted plans to search a landfill for $750 million worth of Bitcoin. James Howells, an IT engineer who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 7,350 Bitcoin worth $750 million in 2013, had been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill to search for the drive. However, the court rejected his application, citing environmental risks and the "no realistic prospect of success" of the case at trial. The judge ruled that digging up the landfill would cause irreversible damage to the environment and the chances of successfully finding the hard drive were extremely slim.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has rejected an IT engineer's application to search a landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. James Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to retrieve it by excavating the landfill. However, Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, citing environmental risks. The judge ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. The court's decision was based on the environmental risks and practical difficulties of excavating the landfill, as well as the extremely low likelihood of success. Howells' Bitcoin, which cost only a few cents to mine in 2009, is now worth $735 million, but the court's ruling means he may never be able to recover it.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
Environmental risk is too high to excavate
Low excavation success rate, no realistic possibility of success
Newport City Council refused to enter the landfill
Excavation cost is too high, it is not worth it