#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 find it in the landfill ever since. However, UK judge Keyser KC ruled that the plan posed environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial, thus rejecting the application. Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, while Howells hoped to excavate the site in search of the hard drive.
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 has been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill for excavation. However, the council has consistently refused, arguing that the plan poses significant environmental risks and has a very low chance of success. Judge Keyser KC agreed with this view, stating that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Howells mined the Bitcoin in 2009 when it cost only a few cents to mine, and its value has since skyrocketed to $735 million. Although Howells' treasure hunt has been halted by the court, the incident has once again raised concerns about the security of digital assets and serves as a reminder to exercise extreme caution when handling them.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
Finding Bitcoin in a landfill poses significant environmental risks, so the court dismissed the application.
The case had "no realistic chance of success" at trial because the cost and difficulty of finding Bitcoin were too high.
The Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill due to environmental pollution and safety risks.
Despite the significant value of Bitcoin, the cost and risk of finding it far outweigh the potential reward, leading the court to deem the plan impractical.