#UK court halts treasure hunt plan#
Hot Topic Overview
Overview
A UK court has rejected an application by IT engineer James Howells 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 by excavating the landfill. However, Judge Keyser KC ruled that the plan posed significant 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, arguing that excavation would cause irreversible damage to the environment.
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. Despite Howells proposing a range of solutions, including using robots and drones to excavate, Newport City Council has consistently refused access to the landfill, citing environmental protection and safety concerns. The court's ruling means Howells' treasure hunt has failed, and he will be unable to recover his valuable Bitcoins.
Public Sentiment · Discussion Word Cloud
Public Sentiment
Discussion Word Cloud
Classic Views
Environmental risks are the main reason for stopping the treasure hunt plan.
The court believes that the case has no realistic chance of success.
The Newport City Council has consistently refused to enter the landfill.
The cost and risk of finding Bitcoin are too high and not worth pursuing.