In an age where grief is increasingly digitized, one company has sparked outrage among thousands of bereaved families. Echovita.com, a Canadian-based obituary aggregator, has been accused of exploiting the deceased and their grieving loved ones through controversial business practices. With a flood of one-star reviews and multiple complaints across platforms, many are asking: Is this legal operation crossing ethical boundaries or another obituary scam?
Overview of The Echovita Obituary Business Model
Echovita operates by scraping obituaries from funeral home websites, rewriting them to avoid copyright infringement, and republishing them on their own platform. The company then monetizes these obituaries by selling flower arrangements, virtual candles, and memorial trees—all without initial family permission.
“They scraped the obituary written today on my mother… you have reworded the carefully prepared thoughts and reflections of a family,” wrote one reviewer on Trustpilot, where Echovita maintains a dismal 2.1-star rating from 99 reviews.
While Echovita maintains they’re simply “centralizing public information,” their business model has raised serious concerns. The company’s revenue—reportedly reaching $5 million annually—comes primarily from:
- Flower arrangements priced between $75-$250
- “Light a candle” memorial services
- Virtual memorial tree planting
- Amazon product affiliate links embedded within obituary pages
The company claims to offer a “Solidarity program” where 50% of profits can be claimed by families—but only if they discover the unauthorized obituary, contact Echovita, and provide documentation like a death certificate.
From Afterlife to Echovita: A Controversial History
Echovita’s controversy isn’t without precedent. According to multiple sources, including the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, the company has direct connections to a previous venture called Afterlife.co, which faced a $20 million class action judgment for unauthorized use of photos and obituary notices.
While Echovita denies any association with Afterlife in their review responses, claiming “we have no connection to Afterlife,” multiple sources including regulatory authorities have identified links between the companies.
“The company names may be different, but it’s the same old Obituary scam game,” notes the Bereavement Authority of Ontario in a warning cited by one reviewer. “In recent years, Echovita was formed by one of the directors of Afterlife.co.”
The key difference in Echovita’s approach appears to be their careful avoidance of using original photographs and their practice of rewriting obituaries—likely strategic changes made to sidestep similar legal challenges.
The Human Cost: Families Speak Out
The emotional impact on grieving families forms the core of complaints against Echovita. Common distresses reported include:
1. Inaccurate Information
“My dad died 5 days ago, & these vultures swooped in & totally butchered the obit, & excluded my husband, & all of my dad’s grandchildren, among other things,” wrote one reviewer identified as Lara Mel. “I literally felt sick to my stomach when I found my dad’s inaccurate, unauthorized obit on there.”
The errors introduced during the rewriting process often create additional grief for families already dealing with loss. In some cases, obituaries have listed incorrect service locations or misrepresented family relationships.
2. Confusing Friends and Family
Multiple reviewers noted that Echovita’s unauthorized obituaries confused acquaintances and distant relatives, who believed they were interacting with an official family memorial.
“This has confused several family members, as they believed the Echovita page was the official page created by the family. At least one person spent $60 planting trees believing that this was asked for by the family,” reported one reviewer.
3. Unwanted Administrative Burden
Families report having to navigate removal processes during their time of grief—an additional burden at an already difficult time.
“Dealing with these ghouls is just the worst when you are grieving,” wrote one Reddit user whose comment was included in previous materials. “Families should not have to waste time requesting removal,” echoed a Trustpilot reviewer.
Echovita’s Defense: Legal but Ethical?
In response to negative reviews, Echovita maintains a consistent position:
- They operate “in full compliance with the law”
- They only share “basic facts” from publicly available information
- They respond promptly to removal requests
- They believe they provide a valuable service by “informing society of who has passed away”
Their standard response to complaints includes: “When obituaries are posted on the internet, we further share the basic facts only in a death notice format to inform society of who has passed away. We organize all obituaries and death notices by city, so that people can see who passed away daily in selected cities of their choice with a free subscription.”
However, critics argue this defense ignores the ethical implications of their practices. As one reviewer noted: “Legal or not, it’s disgusting, and no matter how much you defend it, you know it’s true.”
Red Flags: What to Watch For
For consumers, several warning signs may indicate you’re dealing with an unauthorized obituary aggregator rather than an official family memorial:
- Rewritten content: Obituaries that appear to be paraphrased versions of official ones, often with errors or omissions
- Monetization elements: Prominent buttons to purchase flowers, candles, or memorial trees with no clear indication of where proceeds go
- Solidarity programs: Claims that families can “claim” profits, which shifts responsibility to the bereaved to discover and take action
- High-ranking search results: Unauthorized obituaries often appear high in search results, sometimes above the official funeral home listings
- Limited contact information: Difficulty finding direct contact information to address concerns or removal requests
Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones
For those concerned about protecting obituaries from unauthorized use, experts recommend several precautionary steps:
When Writing an Obituary
- Consider publishing obituaries on password-protected portions of funeral home websites when possible
- Include explicit copyright notices in the obituary text
- Keep obituaries brief in public forums, with more detailed memorials shared through private channels
- Regularly search for your loved one’s name online following publication of an obituary
When Finding an Obituary Online
- Verify the source—check if it’s from the official funeral home website
- Be cautious about making purchases through obituary sites you’re unfamiliar with
- Contact the family directly when possible to confirm memorial preferences
- Report unauthorized obituaries to the family if you discover them
When Taking Action Against Unauthorized Use
- Document the unauthorized content with screenshots
- Contact the site directly with removal requests
- Consider DMCA takedown notices if you wrote the original obituary
- Report to relevant authorities such as the Better Business Bureau, FTC, or Canadian equivalents
Final Verdict: Is Echovita Legitimate or an Obituary Scam Business?
While Echovita appears to operate within technical legal boundaries by rewriting content and responding to takedown requests, the allegations of ‘scam’ surrounding their business model remain troubling to many.
The company’s practices highlight a growing tension in the digital age: just because information is publicly accessible doesn’t mean its repurposing for profit is ethical, particularly when dealing with grieving families.
As one bereaved family member put it:
These people are complete predatory assholes. If what I listed above hadn’t worked, I was going to go after them using the DMCA that was suggested. Thankfully they complied, but it was still not what you need to worry about when you’re grieving.
Until stronger regulations emerge around digital memorial practices, families will need to remain vigilant about how their loved ones’ information is used—even in their final farewells.
This article is based on reviews, complaints, and public information about Echovita and similar obituary aggregation services. For specific legal advice regarding unauthorized use of obituaries, consult with a qualified attorney.
