‘Offensive’: More Ont. families come forward regarding website ‘scraping’ obituaries without consent

The death notices are being shared on a website that sells things like memorial trees and virtual candles. CTV’S Pat Foran reports for Consumer Alert.

Following a report by CTV News Toronto, more families have come forward to say they found their loved ones' obituaries reposted on a third-party website without their knowledge or permission.

One Ontario man who lost his father in 2023 found his obituary on the website Echovita.com after watching CTV’s Jan. 16 story. He said he was surprised to see memorial trees and candles being sold in his father’s memory.

“I checked the website and looked for my father’s obituary and it was there,” said Dan Reynolds of Aurora.

• PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘It felt like a huge violation’: Ontario family shocked to find their loved one’s obituary on website without their consent

Paul Ross of Scarborough died in December and his family found his death notice on Echovita, even though they said they did not give permission for it to be posted there.

They then reached out to Consumer Alert to investigate.

Ayoma de Silva, Ross’ step-daughter previously said, “I felt it was a huge violation. It was my step-father’s information that was very sacred to us and I didn’t think anyone had the right to publish his information without our consent and approval.”

In Reynolds’ case, he said his father’s obituary had been changed, there were mistakes, and memorial items were being sold in his father’s name.

“I found it to be quite offensive and they were trying to solicit funds to light virtual candles, gifts, or plant trees. It was done without any knowledge of anyone in the family,” said Reynolds.

When CTV News Toronto reached out to Echovita, Paco Leclerc, CEO of the company, said in a statement, “Echovita is a Canadian organization that centralizes, aggregates and amplifies publicly available obituaries to inform the general public of a passing. Our mission is to make public information more easily accessible, free of charge. We comply with all Canadian laws and have all the necessary authorizations to operate in Canada.”

“We are particularly sensitive to the wishes and requests made by friends and families of a deceased. Therefore, it is possible for them to request changes to an obituary published on Echovita.com or even publish the obituary themselves. Our customer service team is dedicated to answering all your questions, quickly.”

The Funeral Service Association of Canada (FSAC) said it has concerns about the practice which it referred to as “obituary scraping or pirating.”

In 2019, a company called ‘Afterlife’ was ordered to pay $20 million in a class action lawsuit for being in breach of copyright laws.

The FSAC is currently monitoring the situation but feels there should be regulations in place to prevent it.

“The complaints are actually heartbreaking, specifically the manipulation of the content,” said Janet Ricciuti, Director of the Western Region at FSAC. “There is so much confusion as to which is the real obituary notice.”

Reynolds told CTV News he plans to tell Echovita to take down his father’s obituary.

“I will be reaching out to them and asking them to remove it definitely,” Reynolds said.

The funeral industry is advising the public to beware of websites reposting obituaries and suggests to make sure you know where your money is going if you are purchasing a memorial item.

When searching for obituaries online, double check to see the site you’re on. You can also contact the funeral home directly if you wish to purchase flowers, candles, or other gifts in someone’s memory.

The Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) also suggests to ensure there is a ‘Licensed by BAO’ badge at the bottom of the funeral establishment’s homepage, as only licensed businesses are allowed to display.