Abstract: A user, wishing to retrieve a file of machine-readable data from a remote machine-readable data storage device, transmits a first e-mail message from a local station to a remote station via a packet switched network. The first e-mail message includes a first machine-readable instruction and a first machine-readable retrieval criterion. The remote station receives the first email message from the packet switched network. The remote station parses the first e-mail message to determine if it includes the first machine-readable instruction and the first machine-readable retrieval criterion. The remote station executes the first machine-readable instruction to transmit a second e-mail message from the remote station to the local station. The second e-mail message includes the file as an attachment. The local station receives the second e-mail message from the packet switched network.