#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has rejected an IT engineer's application to search a landfill for $735 million worth of Bitcoin. James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing the Bitcoin in 2013. He tried to persuade the court to allow him access to the landfill to dig, but the court ruled that the move posed an environmental risk and had "no realistic prospect of success" at trial. Newport City Council had consistently refused access to the landfill, and the court ultimately upheld the council's decision.
Ace Hot Topic Analysis
Analysis
A UK court has dismissed a request from James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, to search a 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 sparked debate about the balance between environmental protection and individual property rights, and serves as a reminder to exercise extreme caution when handling important data to avoid similar losses.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
A plan to find the bitcoins poses environmental risks, the court found that the plan has no realistic chance of success.
Newport City Council refused to allow digging in the landfill because it would be environmentally damaging.
James Howells attempted to retrieve a hard drive containing $735 million worth of bitcoins, but was rejected by the court.
The incident occurred in 2013, when Howells stored the bitcoins on a hard drive that was later mistakenly discarded.