#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. IT engineer James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive in 2013 that contained Bitcoin he mined in 2009, when the cryptocurrency was worth just pennies. Howells has been trying to persuade Newport City Council to allow him access to the landfill to search for the drive, but the council has refused, citing environmental risks. UK judge Keyser KC dismissed Howells' application, ruling that the case had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial.
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 plan posed significant environmental risks and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Howells accidentally discarded the hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013, when the cryptocurrency was worth only a few cents. Today, those Bitcoins are worth an estimated $735 million. Newport City Council has consistently refused to allow access to the landfill for excavation, citing the irreversible environmental damage it would cause. The judge's ruling means Howells' treasure hunt has failed completely, and he will be unable to recover his lost fortune.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
Environmental risks are too high to justify digging through landfills to find Bitcoin.
The success rate of finding Bitcoin is extremely low, and the court believes that there is no realistic possibility of success in this case.
The Newport City Council refused to allow digging in the landfill, and the court upheld the council's decision.
The cost of finding Bitcoin is too high, and even if found, it may not be worth it.