What started as a small program to root out several FDA employees suspected of leaking confidential information grew into a vast campaign to counter outside critics of the agency's medical review process by compiling an "enemies list" of sorts aimed at quelling critics' alleged "collaboration," according to the article.

The surveillance program originated in a bitter dispute between scientists and their FDA managers over claims that faulty review procedures had led to approval of medical imaging devices for virtual colonoscopy and mammography that exposed patients to radiation, the article stated.

But the agency defended its communications tracking to Congress, journalists, and even the president, saying its only aim was only to determine if illegal communications were occurring. It remains unclear who authorized the program, the New York Times stated.