When we think about hunting for treasure or mining for gold, we conjure up images of pirates and explorers setting off on epic quests. For one man, however, a more modern quest has been ongoing for the last twelve years, and while he hasn’t discovered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, he is still searching for his fortune.
James Howells is a Welsh computer scientist and IT professional, which is ironic given his dilemma. In 2013, he was an early adopter of buying, trading, and mining for Bitcoin currency. At the time, he had around $8 million worth of crypto stored on his hard drive as digital keys that proved his ownership and the authenticity of its value. While cleaning out his office, he accidentally threw away a computer hard drive on which he had stored the documentation of his crypto funds. With the present value of Bitcoin, the worth of his currency is estimated at around $742 million.
He realized his mistake immediately, and in the twelve years since, he has tried valiantly to retrieve the drive. He devised ways involving AI-powered drones to pinpoint probable landfill locations, but in addition to the technical struggles, he faced legal challenges. Court proceedings over the years have gone against Howells, with rulings that whatever gets dumped into a public landfill is no longer private property, and excavation by a private citizen is not allowed.
In the last appeal, the judge added that after more than a decade, there would be no chance of finding the hard drive, much less its survival after years of exposure to the elements and the weight of thousands of tons of waste piled on it.
While Howells may have reached a dead end, he has made a deal with a Los Angeles production company to make a documentary about his search. While it may not help him find his lost loot, it should shed some light on the difficulties of digital assets and finding new ways to protect something that exists only in a string of encrypted code.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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