Herta, a Spanish firm known for its expertise in facial recognition, video analytics, and artificial intelligence, has successfully wrapped up its involvement in the European Union's inaugural Regulatory Sandbox for Artificial Intelligence.
This initiative was spearheaded by the Government of Spain via the State Secretariat for Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence. Throughout this testing phase, Herta utilized BioSurveillance, its advanced video surveillance system driven by facial recognition, designed to identify individuals in dense, fast-moving, and complex environments.
Ensuring Fundamental Rights Protection
The completion of this process marks a significant achievement for both Herta and the European biometrics sector. The company has become the first in Europe specializing in facial recognition that is poised to undertake projects in public areas in accordance with the new European AI Regulation, known as the AI Act.
Herta received an accreditation diploma acknowledging its participation with BioSurveillance
This compliance is applicable in scenarios allowed by the regulation, and adheres to the necessary safeguards related to human oversight, risk management, traceability, technical documentation, cybersecurity, and the protection of fundamental rights.
Herta received an accreditation diploma acknowledging its participation with BioSurveillance in the AI Sandbox, which ran from May 2025 to June 2026 under Royal Decree 817/2023. The closing ceremony for this milestone event was held in Madrid on June 11, 2026.
Facial Recognition Technology
"Completing the European Union’s first Artificial Intelligence Sandbox is a strategic milestone for Herta. It demonstrates that it is possible to develop and deploy facial recognition technology from Europe with the highest legal, technical and ethical safeguards," says Javier Rodríguez, General Manager of the company.
This recognition strengthens Herta's position as a key provider of sophisticated biometric technology in Europe, catering to sectors such as public security, critical infrastructure, transportation, major events, border control, and areas with high foot traffic.
