diff --git a/install/data/defaults.json b/install/data/defaults.json
index bfbf6a4b39..f6c31125b2 100644
--- a/install/data/defaults.json
+++ b/install/data/defaults.json
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@
     "profileImageDimension": 200,
     "profile:convertProfileImageToPNG": 0,
     "profile:keepAllUserImages": 0,
-    "requireEmailConfirmation": 0,
     "gdpr_enabled": 1,
     "allowProfileImageUploads": 1,
     "teaserPost": "last-reply",
diff --git a/public/openapi/read/config.yaml b/public/openapi/read/config.yaml
index 30455c6e61..2d8d2ff07b 100644
--- a/public/openapi/read/config.yaml
+++ b/public/openapi/read/config.yaml
@@ -92,8 +92,6 @@ get:
                 description: A user identifier
               cache-buster:
                 type: string
-              requireEmailConfirmation:
-                type: boolean
               topicPostSort:
                 type: string
               categoryTopicSort:
diff --git a/public/src/app.js b/public/src/app.js
index eacfb7e2ee..53d60ffe32 100644
--- a/public/src/app.js
+++ b/public/src/app.js
@@ -719,7 +719,7 @@ app.cacheBuster = null;
 	};
 
 	app.showEmailConfirmWarning = function (err) {
-		if (!config.requireEmailConfirmation || !app.user.uid) {
+		if (!app.user.uid) {
 			return;
 		}
 		var msg = {
diff --git a/src/api/users.js b/src/api/users.js
index 2a4c5100d6..b7deaed080 100644
--- a/src/api/users.js
+++ b/src/api/users.js
@@ -71,10 +71,6 @@ usersAPI.update = async function (caller, data) {
 		await events.log(eventData);
 	}
 
-	if (userData.email !== oldUserData.email) {
-		await log('email-change', { oldEmail: oldUserData.email, newEmail: userData.email });
-	}
-
 	if (userData.username !== oldUserData.username) {
 		await log('username-change', { oldUsername: oldUserData.username, newUsername: userData.username });
 	}
diff --git a/src/controllers/api.js b/src/controllers/api.js
index 5419bbbe01..44f3726f72 100644
--- a/src/controllers/api.js
+++ b/src/controllers/api.js
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ apiController.loadConfig = async function (req) {
 		loggedIn: !!req.user,
 		uid: req.uid,
 		'cache-buster': meta.config['cache-buster'] || '',
-		requireEmailConfirmation: meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation === 1,
 		topicPostSort: meta.config.topicPostSort || 'oldest_to_newest',
 		categoryTopicSort: meta.config.categoryTopicSort || 'newest_to_oldest',
 		csrf_token: req.uid >= 0 && req.csrfToken && req.csrfToken(),
diff --git a/src/controllers/authentication.js b/src/controllers/authentication.js
index 3f325f168d..b4bc61d1a4 100644
--- a/src/controllers/authentication.js
+++ b/src/controllers/authentication.js
@@ -23,8 +23,12 @@ const sockets = require('../socket.io');
 const authenticationController = module.exports;
 
 async function registerAndLoginUser(req, res, userData) {
+	if (!userData.email) {
+		userData.updateEmail = true;
+	}
+
 	const data = await plugins.hooks.fire('filter:register.interstitial', {
-		userData: userData,
+		userData,
 		interstitials: [],
 	});
 
@@ -33,7 +37,6 @@ async function registerAndLoginUser(req, res, userData) {
 
 	if (deferRegistration) {
 		userData.register = true;
-		userData.updateEmail = true;
 		req.session.registration = userData;
 
 		if (req.body.noscript === 'true') {
diff --git a/src/emailer.js b/src/emailer.js
index 012fed1d4c..c8cfd7cbe8 100644
--- a/src/emailer.js
+++ b/src/emailer.js
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ Emailer.send = async (template, uid, params) => {
 	}
 
 	const allowedTpls = ['verify_email', 'welcome', 'registration_accepted'];
-	if (meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation && !userData['email:confirmed'] && !allowedTpls.includes(template)) {
+	if (!userData['email:confirmed'] && !allowedTpls.includes(template)) {
 		if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
 			winston.warn(`uid : ${uid} (${userData.email}) has not confirmed email, not sending "${template}" email.`);
 		}
diff --git a/src/events.js b/src/events.js
index d781fd851f..69da2ef272 100644
--- a/src/events.js
+++ b/src/events.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ events.types = [
 	'user-deleteAccount',
 	'user-deleteContent',
 	'password-change',
+	'email-confirmation-sent',
 	'email-change',
 	'username-change',
 	'ip-blacklist-save',
diff --git a/src/middleware/header.js b/src/middleware/header.js
index b9e41df5ba..aceb38eef8 100644
--- a/src/middleware/header.js
+++ b/src/middleware/header.js
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ middleware.renderHeader = async function renderHeader(req, res, data) {
 		isModerator: user.isModeratorOfAnyCategory(req.uid),
 		privileges: privileges.global.get(req.uid),
 		user: user.getUserData(req.uid),
-		isEmailConfirmSent: (!meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation || req.uid <= 0) ? false : await db.get(`uid:${req.uid}:confirm:email:sent`),
+		isEmailConfirmSent: req.uid <= 0 ? false : await db.get(`uid:${req.uid}:confirm:email:sent`),
 		languageDirection: translator.translate('[[language:dir]]', res.locals.config.userLang),
 		timeagoCode: languages.userTimeagoCode(res.locals.config.userLang),
 		browserTitle: translator.translate(controllers.helpers.buildTitle(translator.unescape(data.title))),
diff --git a/src/middleware/user.js b/src/middleware/user.js
index cf545ab901..b3a63651af 100644
--- a/src/middleware/user.js
+++ b/src/middleware/user.js
@@ -264,6 +264,8 @@ module.exports = function (middleware) {
 			return setImmediate(next);
 		}
 
+		console.log('middleware hit', req.session);
+
 		const path = req.path.startsWith('/api/') ? req.path.replace('/api', '') : req.path;
 		const { allowed } = await plugins.hooks.fire('filter:middleware.registrationComplete', {
 			allowed: ['/register/complete'],
diff --git a/src/socket.io/admin/user.js b/src/socket.io/admin/user.js
index 5012818dc2..e813053137 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/admin/user.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/admin/user.js
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ const api = require('../../api');
 const groups = require('../../groups');
 const user = require('../../user');
 const events = require('../../events');
-const meta = require('../../meta');
 const translator = require('../../translator');
 const sockets = require('..');
 
@@ -81,10 +80,6 @@ User.sendValidationEmail = async function (socket, uids) {
 		throw new Error('[[error:invalid-data]]');
 	}
 
-	if (!meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation) {
-		throw new Error('[[error:email-confirmations-are-disabled]]');
-	}
-
 	const failed = [];
 	let errorLogged = false;
 	await async.eachLimit(uids, 50, async (uid) => {
diff --git a/src/socket.io/user.js b/src/socket.io/user.js
index 3e324a6211..a9f105ef48 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/user.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/user.js
@@ -48,10 +48,6 @@ SocketUser.emailConfirm = async function (socket) {
 		throw new Error('[[error:no-privileges]]');
 	}
 
-	if (!meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation) {
-		throw new Error('[[error:email-confirmations-are-disabled]]');
-	}
-
 	return await user.email.sendValidationEmail(socket.uid);
 };
 
diff --git a/src/upgrades/1.15.0/verified_users_group.js b/src/upgrades/1.15.0/verified_users_group.js
index 0aabdb3224..1488b8b280 100644
--- a/src/upgrades/1.15.0/verified_users_group.js
+++ b/src/upgrades/1.15.0/verified_users_group.js
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ async function updatePrivilges() {
 	// if email confirmation is required
 	//   give chat, posting privs to "verified-users" group
 	//   remove chat, posting privs from "registered-users" group
+
+	// This config property has been removed from v1.18.0+, but is still present in old datasets
 	if (meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation) {
 		const cids = await db.getSortedSetRevRange('categories:cid', 0, -1);
 		const canChat = await privileges.global.canGroup('chat', 'registered-users');
diff --git a/src/user/digest.js b/src/user/digest.js
index dec6a43df3..d9b7e1ef3e 100644
--- a/src/user/digest.js
+++ b/src/user/digest.js
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ Digest.send = async function (data) {
 	let errorLogged = false;
 	await batch.processArray(data.subscribers, async (uids) => {
 		let userData = await user.getUsersFields(uids, ['uid', 'email', 'email:confirmed', 'username', 'userslug', 'lastonline']);
-		userData = userData.filter(u => u && u.email && (!meta.config.requireEmailConfirmation || u['email:confirmed']));
+		userData = userData.filter(u => u && u.email && (meta.config.includeUnverifiedEmails || u['email:confirmed']));
 		if (!userData.length) {
 			return;
 		}
diff --git a/src/user/email.js b/src/user/email.js
index 7fd9346ce8..6ed3c9d8a0 100644
--- a/src/user/email.js
+++ b/src/user/email.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ const db = require('../database');
 const meta = require('../meta');
 const emailer = require('../emailer');
 const groups = require('../groups');
+const events = require('../events');
 
 const UserEmail = module.exports;
 
@@ -69,6 +70,13 @@ UserEmail.sendValidationEmail = async function (uid, options) {
 	await db.expireAt(`confirm:${confirm_code}`, Math.floor((Date.now() / 1000) + (60 * 60 * 24)));
 	const username = await user.getUserField(uid, 'username');
 
+	events.log({
+		type: 'email-confirmation-sent',
+		uid,
+		confirm_code,
+		...options,
+	});
+
 	const data = {
 		username: username,
 		confirm_link: confirm_link,
@@ -104,6 +112,7 @@ UserEmail.confirmByCode = async function (code) {
 		await db.sortedSetRemove('email:uid', oldEmail.toLowerCase());
 		await db.sortedSetRemove('email:sorted', `${oldEmail.toLowerCase()}:${confirmObj.uid}`);
 		await user.auth.revokeAllSessions(confirmObj.uid);
+		await events.log('email-change', { oldEmail, newEmail: confirmObj.email });
 	}
 
 	await Promise.all([
diff --git a/src/user/profile.js b/src/user/profile.js
index 72148fcf3a..2f19772c33 100644
--- a/src/user/profile.js
+++ b/src/user/profile.js
@@ -244,6 +244,7 @@ module.exports = function (User) {
 		}
 
 		if (newEmail) {
+			await db.delete(`uid:${uid}:confirm:email:sent`);
 			await User.email.sendValidationEmail(uid, {
 				email: newEmail,
 				subject: '[[email:email.verify-your-email.subject]]',
diff --git a/src/views/admin/settings/user.tpl b/src/views/admin/settings/user.tpl
index fc17a4e2f0..1bfc772737 100644
--- a/src/views/admin/settings/user.tpl
+++ b/src/views/admin/settings/user.tpl
@@ -4,13 +4,6 @@
 	<div class="col-sm-2 col-xs-12 settings-header">[[admin/settings/user:authentication]]</div>
 	<div class="col-sm-10 col-xs-12">
 		<form role="form">
-			<div class="checkbox">
-				<label class="mdl-switch mdl-js-switch mdl-js-ripple-effect">
-					<input class="mdl-switch__input" type="checkbox" data-field="requireEmailConfirmation">
-					<span class="mdl-switch__label"><strong>[[admin/settings/user:require-email-confirmation]]</strong></span>
-				</label>
-			</div>
-
 			<div class="form-group form-inline">
 				<label for="emailConfirmInterval">[[admin/settings/user:email-confirm-interval]]</label>
 				<input class="form-control" data-field="emailConfirmInterval" type="number" id="emailConfirmInterval" placeholder="Default: 10"