#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has dismissed an application by IT engineer James Howells to search a landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to gain access to the landfill, but Newport City Council has consistently refused, citing environmental risks. The judge ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success at trial" and therefore dismissed Howells' application.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has rejected IT engineer James Howells' application to search a landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin, citing excessive environmental risks. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and hoped to recover it by excavating the landfill. However, Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, and the judge ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Judge Keyser KC noted that excavating the landfill would cause irreversible environmental damage and had a very low chance of success, thus dismissing Howells' application. This incident has once again raised concerns about the security of digital assets and serves as a reminder to exercise extreme caution when handling important data.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
The plan to search for Bitcoin hard drives poses significant environmental risks, potentially causing pollution and destruction.
The plan is legally unlikely to succeed, with courts deeming the case unlikely to have a realistic chance of success.
The Newport City Council has refused to allow access to the landfill for excavation, deeming the plan not worthwhile.
The cost of searching for Bitcoin hard drives is excessively high, and the success rate is extremely low, making it not worth the effort.