Well, it was too hard. Now it’s easy. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can produce persuasive fakes, and the quality is only going to improve over time. Probably sooner than later.
So it all comes down to personal knowledge. To be in a relationship–as in “to be acquainted with” in some sort of way. The ONLY thing that can’t be faked is the relationship. Video, audio, science, etc. can all be faked. Even eyewitness testimony is far less than 100% reliable, and people can lie!
French parses those two kind of knowing out in a way that English does not: connaître versus savoir. I would argue that in terms of non-trivial Truth, there IS no savoir, only connaître.
I am disabled. And I have been married to a wonderful woman for 34 years. My wife pretty much always always knows where I am. And once, a couple years ago I went for a spin in my new electric wheelchair around the neighborhood and, unfortunately, dumped it (and me). People on the street kindly picked me up off the ground. But I was gone from the home for a bit.
When I returned my wife’s car was gone, I asked one of the kids, “Where did mom go?” The teen child answered, “She’s out looking for YOU.”
So now, let’s say that I go on an errand and just choose to not come home as expected. How long do you think it will be before my wife has police and many others out searching for me?
This is NOT about the time gone, it is about the relationship. This is about connaître, not savoir. The only certainty of knowledge is in a relationship.
THAT is how relationships work…