For most, Internet == World Wide Web, which TimBL bears credit for creating. I think "Internet founder" is a fair enough descriptor for laymen. (Note also that it didn't say the founder, implying others, which is accurate.)
For one thing, Snowden wasn't a "CIA agent". He was a contractor working for the NSA. There is NO evidence he ever "worked" for the CIA or the NSA directly. All of his work was via third-parties.
In journalism, the facts are what come first. If this author can't be bothered to confirm basic facts about Snowden, then we are left with little choice but to disregard the rest of the article as poorly researched.
It's not entirely clear from that entry whether he worked directly for the CIA or through a subcontractor - which, I think, is a distinguishing point Nrsolis was trying to make. Any other sources that indicate he worked directly for the CIA?
However, he says he worked as a systems administrator, which I don't think is a "CIA agent" - I believe (although I'm not 100% certain) that "agent" refers specifically to a spy.
The context is the use of 'CIA agent' in the linked article. Is that label true enough to be used in a news account? Most would say it is, if by no other reason than Snowden's own description of his work, as corroborated by other sources. The NYTimes has also described Snowden as an "ex-CIA worker" in headlines:
So what if technically Snowden was on someone else's payroll – that's how a lot of work for government agencies, covert or not, is done. And, lots of 'agents' for intelligence outfits are actually on other payrolls – often that's the whole point, serving multiple masters ambiguously! A journalist who cuts through the layers and describes the real supervisory relationship is doing their job, not carelessly getting things wrong (as alleged by Nrsolis).
I've worked for the government. We all understand the difference between employee/officer/agent/contractor.
For one thing, there are different rules and regulations. You are legally responsible as an agent in a way you aren't as an officer. Same for employee vs contractor.
The CIA is not the same thing you see in the movies. Don't get your information from Hollywood.
The use of the word "agent" has a very specific meaning within the context of government employment. It denotes a certain level of accountability and vetting that indicates that the person serves as a representative of the government within the duties they are assigned.
For example, the FBI has "special agents".
A little research goes a long way and this article doesn't even have a byline. Blogger or journalist? Who can tell anymore.
In common parlance, 'CIA agent' means 'someone who works for the CIA', with a slight connotation of 'on secret things' or 'under cover'. It can even loosely mean someone who helps the CIA - 'agent' being a general word for someone who acts for on behalf of another. (A high-ranking foreign government official who helps the CIA in return for money or favors can and will be described as a 'CIA agent', no matter their lack of paystubs or 'Officer' titles.)
Snowden worked for the CIA in a foreign country under diplomatic cover. Most of the English-speaking world, and especially the readers of this Irish-based publication, understand that to make him a "CIA agent".