anonymous FTP

Method of retrieving a file from a remote computer without having an account on that computer. Many organizations, such as universities and software companies, maintain publicly accessible archives of files that may be retrieved across the Internet via FTP. An ordinary user who is not affiliated to the organization may retrieve files by entering the FTP address and then typing in either ‘anonymous’ or ‘ftp’ when asked for a user-ID or log-in name, followed by the user's e-mail address in place of a password. These users are typically offered access privileges to only a small part of the company's stored files, and the rest may be cordoned off from access by a firewall.