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Man who lost Bitcoin fortune in Welsh tip explores purchase of entire landfill (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 22 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] Kyrgizion 17 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

That's an uphill battle if ever there was one.

it's not 100% sure the drive is even there
even if he gets access, it will take literal years to comb over the entire landfill
even IF he manages to actually find the drive, the contents might not be recoverable
ultimate irony: the btc price might crash by the time he finally gets his hands on his wallet...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Didn’t this happen a decade ago? What would be left?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 21 hours ago

I believe it’s the same person. Still trying. He bas previously bought help by promising a share of the loot if they ever find it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

So ... how great are the chances that even if he recovers his drive that the data is still readable?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Worth noting I asked AI because my initial guess was 3/5ths of fuck all given it was a landfill in South Wales and been there for a decade.

Bearing in mind this is big time confirmation bias as I initially asked what the chances of being able to get btc off a drive left in landfill. When the AI replied with “it’s depend on a variety of factors” I specified South Wales and the time frame.

Given that the HDD has been buried in a South Wales landfill for a decade, the chances of successful recovery are extremely low. Here’s why: [several generated paragraphs I won’t bore you with removed.]

Estimated Probability of Recovery Finding the HDD: <1% (Landfills are massive, and the drive is likely buried under tons of waste.) Drive being intact & readable: <5% (Due to corrosion, crushing, and environmental damage.) Successful data recovery (if found): 5-20%, assuming platters are intact and can be salvaged.

Final Verdict

The likelihood of both finding the HDD and recovering the Bitcoin wallet data is close to zero. Even if found, environmental exposure over a decade in a wet landfill makes data recovery highly unlikely.

Very interesting even if I’m doubtful in its confidence in giving actual probabilities. Edit:

Tap for spoiler

It worked out what I was talking about when I asked “what if the owner had unlimited financial means” lol.