Bittorrent peer ID

Questions
1

Can other peers see others peer IDs in bittorrent when they’re connected to the same swarm? Or can special software see it? chat gpt told me peer ID is viewable, but when I check other peers that are downloading from torrents I’m seeding, it doesn’t show me their peer IDs.

2

Use a VPN when torrenting anything, always. Nothing should be an issue then.