How does MCAS compare to stall protection systems installed in other aircraft?
MCAS is currently under scrutiny because it has apparently caused two crashes resulting in 346 fatalities. Other similar systems have undergone scrutiny in the past. For example, the flight control system in the Airbus A330 was under the microscope after suffering a number of very similar failures. On Qantas flight 72 the computer received faulty AoA data causing a sudden nose-down. They were fortunate enough to have enough altitude to recover, but it resulted in some serious injuries. It was determined that the incident was not completely isolated. 

As to why the A330 was not grounded where the 737 Max was, that is probably due to the fatalities involved. Airbus just dodged a bullet in that the crews had sufficient time to recover. Timing was everything.