Final answer:
Establishing the authenticity of virtual data is challenging due to unknown authorship, specialist knowledge requirements, and an abundance of both credible and non-credible information on the unregulated internet.
Step-by-step explanation:
It can be difficult to establish the authenticity of virtual data due to several factors. One reason might be that we do not always know who has authored the content on a website, leading to challenges in verifying the credibility and origin of the information. Another issue is the requirement for specialist knowledge to understand certain texts, which sometimes contain jargon or refer to context that is not immediately apparent to a general audience. Moreover, virtual data can be presented in myriad ways, including as visual images, but this alone does not hinder authenticity verification. The real challenge lies in the unregulated nature of online information, making it the user's responsibility to appraise the reliability of their sources.
Historians and researchers must use a critical eye to distinguish between credible and non-credible sources, understanding that the internet contains as much misinformation as legitimate data. The practice of establishing authenticity also involves looking for corroboration and understanding the context of sources, a process that holds particular importance when dealing with historical primary sources. In the digital age, the rapid spread of 'fake news' and opinion versus fact further complicates this task.