The Lost Bitcoin Hard Drive Saga: Lawsuit for $646 Million

[Faisal2202]

No one found the HDD because JH luckily did not lose his address and claims that all the coins are still there. If by any chance it was different, then all his efforts to find the HDD would be pointless.

Oh really, that's a good thing, I did not know that Thanks for bringing it to my attention. If he really has the addresses, then there is nothing to worry about, as he can keep track of the funds. Otherwise, his efforts would be a total waste, as you said.

I hope he finds that HD and gets what he deserves I just don't get why the council is not giving him the permission What are they hiding there? If they are hiding something there, then they will try to bribe him or maybe let him win the case, but with a lesser money. 

[Lucius]

~snip~
I hope he finds that HD and gets what he deserves I just don't get why the council is not giving him the permission What are they hiding there? If they are hiding something there, then they will try to bribe him or maybe let him win the case, but with a lesser money.

Maybe there is a secret military base under the garbage?

Joking aside, you are obviously not well versed in this story - because the main reason why digging through garbage it is not allowed is environmental concerns. Estimates are that the digging itself would take up to 3 years, with at least one more year to inspect all that garbage - and when you have such a large pile of garbage (of all possible types), then it can lead to the release of very dangerous gases, not mentioning the stench and the possibility of it all catching fire.

[Faisal2202]

Maybe there is a secret military base under the garbage?

Joking aside, you are obviously not well versed in this story - because the main reason why digging through garbage it is not allowed is environmental concerns. Estimates are that the digging itself would take up to 3 years, with at least one more year to inspect all that garbage - and when you have such a large pile of garbage (of all possible types), then it can lead to the release of very dangerous gases, not mentioning the stench and the possibility of it all catching fire.

I did not read the whole story for like since few months but I read about it and the case is not new it has been discussed so many times on BTT and in my local community and for me really these environmental concerns are not real, if there is chance of dangerous gases that can only harm the people present there then there, are special equipment used to safe yourself from it.

If there is a chance of fire there are fire brigadier and fire extinguishers etc. These are just lame excuses to hide something else, maybe they are having a base there, or maybe they are still searching for the drive for themselves.

[robelneo]

I did not read the whole story for like since few months but I read about it and the case is not new it has been discussed so many times on BTT and in my local community and for me really these environmental concerns are not real, if there is chance of dangerous gases that can only harm the people present there then there, are special equipment used to safe yourself from it.

If there is a chance of fire there are fire brigadier and fire extinguishers etc. These are just lame excuses to hide something else, maybe they are having a base there, or maybe they are still searching for the drive for themselves.

Yes, its possible that they are already looking for the HD themselves, and they don't want anyone to know unless their activity is obvious and visible.
If you know that there is a hidden treasures on those piles and the value keeps growing and you can track the value, the administrator will think of a way to excavate it, The issue is if the ends will justify the means, If Bitcoin reach 1 million and and Howells is still alive, he will move heaven and earth just to get it retrieved, this is going to be a continuing saga and its worth following.

[Lucius]

I did not read the whole story for like since few months but I read about it and the case is not new it has been discussed so many times on BTT and in my local community and for me really these environmental concerns are not real, if there is chance of dangerous gases that can only harm the people present there then there, are special equipment used to safe yourself from it.

They are very real and dangerous, especially if excavation and removal of waste takes place on them. People who live nearby are exposed to various negative elements that arise during the process of waste decomposition, and every digging in the waste leads to a multiple increase in harmful particles that are very dangerous to health.

Living near landfills has been associated with a 12% increased risk of congenital malformations in children, highlighting the severe health risks these sites can pose to nearby communities.

Moreover, the odours from landfills, caused by various chemicals released as gases, can be detected at deficient concentrations. This chemical, a type of PFAS, is linked to several severe health issues in humans, including kidney and testicular cancers, hypertension, thyroid disease, and a reduced response to vaccines.

In addition, these facilities produce emissions equivalent to significant lengths of UK motorways. For instance, oxides of nitrogen from an EfW plant match those produced by a 7km stretch of motorway hourly. Similarly, particulate matter emissions are comparable to a 5km length of UK motorway.

If there is a chance of fire there are fire brigadier and fire extinguishers etc. These are just lame excuses to hide something else, maybe they are having a base there, or maybe they are still searching for the drive for themselves.

It was a joke for the base, and even if they find the HDD, as far as I know, the wallet is protected by a password - after all, JH is some kind of computer scientist.

[Faisal2202]

Yes, its possible that they are already looking for the HD themselves, and they don't want anyone to know unless their activity is obvious and visible.
If you know that there is a hidden treasures on those piles and the value keeps growing and you can track the value, the administrator will think of a way to excavate it, The issue is if the ends will justify the means, If Bitcoin reach 1 million and and Howells is still alive, he will move heaven and earth just to get it retrieved, this is going to be a continuing saga and its worth following.

I don't really think that they have some kind of base there, as I can't just be 100% sure of things I really don't no but there is a 50% chance that there is one lol. But there is the possibility that the administration is already searching for it without saying anything in public, and we now know the victim has the address of his wallet so he can track them if they (the organization) move the funds if they find it.

And if BTC reaches $1 million, then those piles of trash will be the most expensive thing in the world If I am not wrong.

[Aanuoluwatofunmi]

Maybe things like this could also taught us some lessons on how we dispose things anyhow, i have some people that they have in their home archive where every necessary items were being kept for long time and if possible for their own children to meet as well, it is something that we can build an underground building for it, or allocate a single room for in doing that because sometime we just have to be good at keeping things than disposing easily, except for trash. 

[Lucius]

~snip~
But there is the possibility that the administration is already searching for it without saying anything in public, and we now know the victim has the address of his wallet so he can track them if they (the organization) move the funds if they find it.

You have a slightly overactive imagination and do not see things from a realistic perspective. First of all, any search of this type would be very easily publicly detected because it involves the excavation of massive deposits of garbage that would be detected by air quality measuring stations - after all, it is a country that cares about the environment.

Secondly, I will write again that even if someone finds the disk, they would first have to crack the password in order to get hold of the private keys - and even if they succeed in doing so, such a transaction would be detected and the coins would be frozen wherever they were sent.

[wallet4bitcoin]

If he considers his excavation healthy enough for his lost Bitcoin, it remains a selfish reason if the health implication isn't condition for him.
I believe the council, if they stopped him from excavating the site is in the best interest of the state and health conditions and his lawsuit will be struck out.

Winning such lawsuit isn't close to a possibility.

[Faisal2202]

You have a slightly overactive imagination and do not see things from a realistic perspective. First of all, any search of this type would be very easily publicly detected because it involves the excavation of massive deposits of garbage that would be detected by air quality measuring stations - after all, it is a country that cares about the environment.

Secondly, I will write again that even if someone finds the disk, they would first have to crack the password in order to get hold of the private keys - and even if they succeed in doing so, such a transaction would be detected and the coins would be frozen wherever they were sent.

Yeah yeah I got that part Thanks for mentioning it again but I get it really hehe. I know the funds can be detected and maybe nowadays I am overimagining, but I realize the public can see the excavation ongoing but they can't know for what?

I think its good to agree with you for now as I can't really know the real picture of what's really happening like why they are not giving him the permission or what they so afraid of let's wait for the results of this lawsuit it will be good. 

[Z-tight]

Maybe things like this could also taught us some lessons on how we dispose things anyhow

Howells didn't intend to lose his hard drive, he mistook it for trash in 2013 when cleaning his home, and BTC was also not as high as it is now in 2013, too bad for Howells. However, i think he should give up on this unending search, he is surely not doing his mental health any good, the council won't approve this excavation, for obvious reasons.

[Faisal2202]

They are very real and dangerous, especially if excavation and removal of waste takes place on them. People who live nearby are exposed to various negative elements that arise during the process of waste decomposition, and every digging in the waste leads to a multiple increase in harmful particles that are very dangerous to health.

Thanks for mentioning these health-related problems and I don't disagree with them because they are posted by good sources, but still, they are not related to the excavation, which means they are simply saying the risk of living near a dump and landfills. But I do agree that when the excavation happens, the gases that have been made in them can cause some harm, but if I am not wrong, it must be the responsibility of the organization to keep them under control but still risk is risk but I meant to point that risk can be controlled but yeah why would they do that.

It was a joke for the base, and even if they find the HDD, as far as I know, the wallet is protected by a password - after all, JH is some kind of computer scientist.

Haha yeah, I know it was a joke for the base. I was also not taking that point seriously.

PS: I forgot to reply this one hehe

[Lucius]

~snip~
I think its good to agree with you for now as I can't really know the real picture of what's really happening like why they are not giving him the permission or what they so afraid of let's wait for the results of this lawsuit it will be good. 

I already wrote to you why they don't allow excavation - I even quoted you something about how dangerous garbage disposal sites are for people's health. There is no mystery here, except that the garbage problem is treated in a completely different way where you live.
 
For example, I have 5 different bins for different types of waste, in which I have to dispose of waste that then goes to processing and recycling, and about 90% of that waste can be processed and used.

Howells didn't intend to lose his hard drive, he mistook it for trash in 2013 when cleaning his home, and BTC was also not as high as it is now in 2013, too bad for Howells.
~snip~

I'll write again, he didn't throw the disc in the trash, but his girlfriend/wife who was cleaning the house. However, this does not justify him in any way, because if he thought that BTC was something valuable at the time, he would not have kept that disk in a drawer with other irrelevant things. To anyone who doesn't know anything about such things, it looked like something useless that should just be thrown in the trash.

[Z-tight]

I'll write again, he didn't throw the disc in the trash, but his girlfriend/wife who was cleaning the house. However, this does not justify him in any way, because if he thought that BTC was something valuable at the time, he would not have kept that disk in a drawer with other irrelevant things. To anyone who doesn't know anything about such things, it looked like something useless that should just be thrown in the trash.

Yeah, i get it, truly it does not justify him, his wife knew nothing about what was in that hard drive and she thought it was just trash. Howells would have done better to protect his coins, but it was not so much worth protecting back then. I think he should simply give up this search, it must really be taking a toll on his mental health.

[Lucius]

Yeah, i get it, truly it does not justify him, his wife knew nothing about what was in that hard drive and she thought it was just trash. Howells would have done better to protect his coins, but it was not so much worth protecting back then. I think he should simply give up this search, it must really be taking a toll on his mental health.

Question - would you ever give up so much wealth no matter how much it seems at times that you are trying to do the impossible? I think that most people would never give up - because this is in a way a personal search for a hidden treasure.

Some new information is still in JH's favor, because I read that the former manager of the landfill took his side and gave him information about where the disk could be located, which could significantly reduce the scope of the search. Given that technology advances every day, it is possible that something will appear that could enable the safe excavation of that waste without endangering the environment and people.