It is YouTube's short URL.

My friends invited me with one of these. http://youtu.be/bsdCeiae7Mo

In the comments, he briefly describes the design.

I believe you will find it in the Magna Carta (MC.29 on http://alexpeak.com/twr/mc/) for an early variation on the concept.

"No freeman shall be taken captive or imprisoned, or deprived of his lands, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any way destroyed, nor will we go with force against him nor send forces against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."

While this was originally intended for the nobles, since the emancipation of the masses, I believe it applies to everybody. However, there may be more recent statues that supersede it, such as European Convention on Human Rights.