asio

ASIO most commonly refers to two distinct entities in different fields: the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Audio Stream Input/Output protocol used in computer audio.

ASIO stands for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which is Australia’s national security and intelligence agency. Its primary mandate is to protect the country from threats such as espionage, sabotage, foreign interference, and terrorism by collecting, analyzing, and reporting on intelligence relevant to national security. ASIO operates under the framework of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and conducts both domestic and overseas intelligence activities in support of government policy. The agency works in coordination with other Australian security services and provides intelligence and operational support to government decision-makers. Oversight is exercised by bodies including the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) and the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS), with safeguards designed to protect civil liberties and the rule of law.

ASIO also refers to Audio Stream Input/Output, a computer audio driver protocol developed by Steinberg. ASIO provides a direct, low-latency channel between software applications and sound hardware, bypassing the standard operating system audio stack to achieve faster, more predictable timing and higher audio fidelity. It is widely used in professional audio production and digital audio workstations. ASIO drivers are supplied by hardware manufacturers, and when a dedicated driver is unavailable, users may employ wrappers such as ASIO4ALL. On macOS, Core Audio handles system-level audio, though several cross-platform tools offer ASIO compatibility via software wrappers.