Yes! That was one of my biggest complaints about the film! Do ordinary people know about this technology, or just criminals/wealthy businessmen? What are the practical/legal applications, besides military stuff? It wasn't even clear whether or not Ariadne knew about it before Cobb explained it.

And seriously, not emotionally resonant at all. There was no character work! Mal was the only one who get even an ounce of reaction from anyone I talked to.