I've experimented with these a lot for cooling, and the fundamental problem is that they are most efficient when the temperature drop across them is 0. This means the use case for them is quite limited - basically when you want something small with no moving parts, you can get rid of the heat well (big heatsink on the hot side), and you don't want it that cold that fast.
You never know, it might prompt us to realise that we are all on the same planet, in the vast emptiness of space, with no planet B within travelling range. It might make us stop our petty squabbling and work together to protect our home.
Not as stupid as the headline makes it sound. Signal is used in phishing attacks, whereas the home grown one is restricted to authorised users, making it more difficult.
There are plenty of stupid ideas being pushed everywhere. In general, the EU has better checks and balances to weed out the awful ones. Not always obviously, but no system is perfect.
What's wrong with rats? They are just trying to get by.