# Default setting is secretly spying on you

A tech and ai format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/tech-and-ai/default-setting-is-secretly-spying-on-you

Reframe an ordinary toggle as a privacy violation or listening threat, then show the screen path to switch it off. It worked for 7 accounts, with a median of 19x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Voiceover, Talking head, Slideshow.

## Why it works

A specific, creepy fear ('giving transcripts', 'looking into all your photos') turns a dry settings walkthrough into something urgent. Cybersecuritygirl's version with a concrete detail beat her near-identical generic post by a wide margin.

## How to make it

1. Name the scary background behavior in the hook
2. Add one concrete detail that makes it feel real
3. Say it's on by default
4. Show the exact taps to disable it

## Hook formula

Your [device] is always [scary action] and [creepy specific detail]. Here's how to turn it off.

## Examples

- @computergeeks91 (1.6M followers, Instagram voiceover): 62x their usual views. Hook: “HOW TO CHECK IF SOMONE IS SPYING ON YOUR PHONE?” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DfO_TPvB7Wr/)
- @cybersecuritygirl (642K followers, TikTok talking head): 171x their usual views. Hook: “Your iPhone Is Always Listening To You” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@cybersecuritygirl/video/7701199870333340941)
- @drtechcto (325K followers, Instagram voiceover): 25x their usual views. Hook: “MICROSOFT” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/De1jeWehvgV/)
- @digitaljoegeorge (766K followers, Instagram voiceover): 15x their usual views. Hook: “I'M F*CKING PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW APPLE!” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DevTWNxxahm/)
- @ponzispcs (91K followers, TikTok talking head): 8.8x their usual views. Hook: “MICRO-SLOP’S NEW FEATURE SLOWS YOUR INTERNET SPEED DOWN *BY DEFAULT* HERE’S THE FIX.” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@ponzispcs/video/7696159611883097374)
- @techinherstep (90K followers, TikTok slideshow): 9.1x their usual views. Hook: “You're worried about your phone listening to you. I'd worry about these 4 things first...” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@techinherstep/photo/7691388304800894238)
- @tycotech.ca (1.3M followers, Instagram voiceover): 3.0x their usual likes. Hook: “Apple is looking into all your photos!” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Ddut1DkBJfn/)

More tech and ai formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/tech-and-ai.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in tech and ai, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Tech and AI")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Tech and AI")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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