Why Google isn't too happy about a smiley-face Post-it left by the NSA

The spy agency allegedly broke into the back-ends of Google and Yahoo

NSA
(Image credit: (Mark Wilson/Getty Images))

The scope of the National Security Agency's surveillance capabilities is as good as anybody's guess. But the latest batch of revelations suggests the shadowy organization has a cheeky streak.

The Washington Post reports that that NSA has secretly broken into "the main communications links" of the web's top two services — Yahoo and Google — and their data centers around the world, according to documents swiped by NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.