Liquid smoke definitely passes the sniff test cuz it smells great 
Your question actually made me look it up - it looks like the evidence is somewhat inconclusive. The FDA considers it safe, the EFSA wasn’t willing to set a safe consumption level. The potential concern would be PAH compounds, and compared to smoked meats, liquid smoke has vastly less. Seems like the amount you would eat is likely fine. Here are 3 random sites I was looking at, who knows how trustworthy they are but they agreed: 1 2 3
It’s incredible what a difference it makes for stews where a smoky meat contributes to the flavor in the omnivore version, e.g. red beans and rice.
I have a similar question, long term plan to set up a jellyfin server, but not sure what to use to actually play it on the TV… Part of the point is to get big tech/surveillance out of the picture, so using an Amazon or Roku product feels counterproductive. Is the only option really to have a dedicated Linux pc stashed behind the tv with a wireless keyboard?