#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has rejected IT engineer James Howells' application 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 retrieve it from the landfill ever since. The court ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial and denied Howells' application citing environmental risks. Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, arguing that excavation could cause irreversible damage to the environment.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has dismissed IT engineer James Howells' application to search a Newport landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin, citing environmental risks. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill to excavate. However, the council has consistently refused, arguing that excavation would cause irreversible damage to the environment. Judge Keyser KC ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success at trial" and therefore dismissed Howells' application. The incident has raised concerns about digital asset security and environmental protection, and serves as a reminder of the importance of secure storage and backups when dealing with digital assets.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
The plan to search for Bitcoin poses environmental risks and could potentially damage landfills.
The court dismissed the application, finding that the case had no realistic chance of success.
The Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, preventing any action to search for Bitcoin.
The cost of searching for Bitcoin is prohibitively high, and the success rate is extremely low, making it not worthwhile to pursue.