#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 $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. However, the court ruled that the plan posed environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial, thus denying the application. Newport City Council has consistently opposed access to the landfill for digging, and the court's ruling means Howells' treasure hunt has officially failed.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has rejected IT engineer James Howells' application to search a Newport landfill for a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin. The judge ruled that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial, citing environmental risks as the primary reason. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing Bitcoin in 2013, when the cryptocurrency was worth very little. It is now worth a fortune. Newport City Council has consistently refused to allow access to the landfill for excavation, as it would cause irreversible environmental damage. Although Howells offered to cover all costs and promised to use environmentally friendly technology for the excavation, the court ultimately sided with environmental protection and denied his 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 to avoid similar incidents.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
The plan to search for the Bitcoin was halted by the court due to environmental risks.
The court believes the case has "no realistic chance of success" in trial.
Newport City Council has consistently refused to allow the landfill to be searched for Bitcoin due to concerns about environmental damage.
James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing $735 million worth of Bitcoin in 2013 and has been trying to recover it by digging through the landfill.