You can buy lists of people with particular medical ailments. I can buy lists of nursery school children organized by their parents' religions. I mean it's just astounding what kind of information is for sale in the United States, that citizens have no legal right to stop. That's not the situation in Europe because of their data privacy laws. European privacy law in some ways is the flip side of that of the United States.
American law offers more protection from government intrusion.
For example, one law prevents government agencies from sharing personal data with each other. Americans tend to put more trust in how private interests use information, and favor giving companies a chance to regulate themselves. The E.U. Directive places more trust in government, less in commerce. Europeans are likely to think the idea of industry self-regulation is laughable, that government has to keep it honest. For one, it reflects the E.U.'s penchant for sweeping, all-inclusive laws.