HTTP is fantastic. HTTP is also a scourge.
It is fantastic in the sense that what is does well, it does exceedingly well. But when it gets used to do those things it doesn’t do well it sows the seeds of doom.
Want to move hypertext between computers? Good on you. Want to move things that are clearly adjacent to hypertext like text, markup, code listings, and vector graphics? Still good.
But when you want to move very large files or file archives, present media files remotely, or conduct commerce, HTTP is a pretty bad choice, all things considered.
SFTP, RTP, and IPSec are all philosophically, ideologically, technologically, and aesthetically better than the attempts to replace them using HTTP. Not cheaper, or simpler, or easier to control perhaps, but better. Better for the information ecosystem, for the general economy, and for the health and anti-fragility of the Internet.