https://steemit.com/witness-category/@timcliff/the-reports-from-the-witnesses-2017-08-06
The above link is a good place to start if you haven't done so already... @timcliff posts all of the witness updates in one place every week.
Beyond that, I am beginning to develop relationships with a few folk who I do trust, that understand way more of the mechanics than I do.... that's just developing, and I'm still new. Eventually I think that I will have enough knowledge close to the heart to know.
Many of my votes are based upon the witnesses who I could SEE were active in solving the bandwidth crisis.... the old saying goes "closed mouths don't get fed".
One thing. perhaps I misunderstand your meaning, but witnesses act within the parameters allowed by steeminc. An issue has arisen because there was some semi-public steem created. elfspice crys foul. The real reason this is an issue is because of the brand new decision by the SEC to treat Crypto-currency as a security. Because of that decision, which doesn't quite apply across the board to all crypto yet, steemit is vulnerable to attack by the SEC.
my belief is that the creators and developers want steem to last "forever" and aren't here to ride the gravy train until law man catches up.... I suppose, and hope, that they are cognizant of this issue and have plans in place to remedy this vulnerability (WHICH JUST AROSE @ elfspice)....
so it's not as much a question of whether our witnesses are behaving themselves (in this instance), but to whether the creators\developers are behaving themselves... my understanding, also, is that the witnesses collectively have some influence in the decisions made by developers.
so.... knowing your witnesses, and figuring out who to trust seems to be paramount for the future of steemit, but doesn't really address the issue that was brought up about pre-mining
(someone please help and correct me if I'm wrong about any of this.... I'm a newb and still trying to piece it together)