diff --git a/migrations/20200709224148-users-rename-modifiedAt-to-ts.js b/migrations/20200709224148-users-rename-modifiedAt-to-ts.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..30df49e68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/migrations/20200709224148-users-rename-modifiedAt-to-ts.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+'use strict';
+
+exports.up = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN ts TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+
+        db.runSql('ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN modifiedAt', callback);
+    });
+};
+
+exports.down = function(db, callback) {
+    db.runSql('ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN ts', function (error) {
+        if (error) console.error(error);
+        callback(error);
+    });
+};
diff --git a/migrations/schema.sql b/migrations/schema.sql
index 1b016f0ae..249e7d43f 100644
--- a/migrations/schema.sql
+++ b/migrations/schema.sql
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users(
     password VARCHAR(1024) NOT NULL,
     salt VARCHAR(512) NOT NULL,
     createdAt VARCHAR(512) NOT NULL,
-    modifiedAt VARCHAR(512) NOT NULL,
+    ts TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
     displayName VARCHAR(512) DEFAULT "",
     fallbackEmail VARCHAR(512) DEFAULT "",
     twoFactorAuthenticationSecret VARCHAR(128) DEFAULT "",
diff --git a/src/test/apps-test.js b/src/test/apps-test.js
index d684da6ca..25a6e0237 100644
--- a/src/test/apps-test.js
+++ b/src/test/apps-test.js
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ describe('Apps', function () {
         fallbackEmail: 'admin@me.com',
         salt: 'morton',
         createdAt: 'sometime back',
-        modifiedAt: 'now',
         resetToken: hat(256),
         displayName: '',
         groupIds: [],
@@ -45,7 +44,6 @@ describe('Apps', function () {
         fallbackEmail: 'safe@me.com',
         salt: 'morton',
         createdAt: 'sometime back',
-        modifiedAt: 'now',
         resetToken: hat(256),
         displayName: '',
         groupIds: [],
@@ -61,7 +59,6 @@ describe('Apps', function () {
         fallbackEmail: 'safe1@me.com',
         salt: 'morton',
         createdAt: 'sometime back',
-        modifiedAt: 'now',
         resetToken: hat(256),
         displayName: '',
         groupIds: [ 'somegroup' ],
diff --git a/src/test/apptask-test.js b/src/test/apptask-test.js
index 54a242c05..97887f866 100644
--- a/src/test/apptask-test.js
+++ b/src/test/apptask-test.js
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ var ADMIN = {
     fallbackEmail: 'admin@me.com',
     salt: 'morton',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: '',
     displayName: '',
     role: 'owner',
diff --git a/src/test/database-test.js b/src/test/database-test.js
index fbc168613..ba44201f9 100644
--- a/src/test/database-test.js
+++ b/src/test/database-test.js
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ var USER_0 = {
     fallbackEmail: 'safer@me.com',
     salt: 'morton',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: hat(256),
     displayName: '',
     twoFactorAuthenticationEnabled: false,
@@ -53,7 +52,6 @@ var USER_1 = {
     fallbackEmail: 'safer2@me.com',
     salt: 'tata',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: '',
     displayName: 'Herbert 1',
     twoFactorAuthenticationEnabled: false,
@@ -72,7 +70,6 @@ var USER_2 = {
     fallbackEmail: 'safer3@me.com',
     salt: 'tata',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: '',
     displayName: 'Herbert 2',
     twoFactorAuthenticationEnabled: false,
diff --git a/src/test/groups-test.js b/src/test/groups-test.js
index 101159651..d80818c42 100644
--- a/src/test/groups-test.js
+++ b/src/test/groups-test.js
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ var USER_0 = {
     role: 'user',
     salt: 'morton',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: hat(256),
     displayName: '',
     source: '',
@@ -52,7 +51,6 @@ var USER_1 = { // this user has not signed up yet
     role: 'user',
     salt: 'morton',
     createdAt: 'sometime back',
-    modifiedAt: 'now',
     resetToken: hat(256),
     displayName: '',
     source: '',
diff --git a/src/userdb.js b/src/userdb.js
index 949a499cc..ecaee238f 100644
--- a/src/userdb.js
+++ b/src/userdb.js
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ var assert = require('assert'),
     debug = require('debug')('box:userdb'),
     mysql = require('mysql');
 
-var USERS_FIELDS = [ 'id', 'username', 'email', 'fallbackEmail', 'password', 'salt', 'createdAt', 'modifiedAt', 'resetToken', 'displayName',
+var USERS_FIELDS = [ 'id', 'username', 'email', 'fallbackEmail', 'password', 'salt', 'createdAt', 'resetToken', 'displayName',
     'twoFactorAuthenticationEnabled', 'twoFactorAuthenticationSecret', 'active', 'source', 'role', 'resetTokenCreationTime' ].join(',');
 
 var APP_PASSWORD_FIELDS = [ 'id', 'name', 'userId', 'identifier', 'hashedPassword', 'creationTime' ].join(',');
@@ -166,15 +166,14 @@ function add(userId, user, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.fallbackEmail, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.salt, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.createdAt, 'string');
-    assert.strictEqual(typeof user.modifiedAt, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.resetToken, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.displayName, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.source, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof user.role, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    const query = 'INSERT INTO users (id, username, password, email, fallbackEmail, salt, createdAt, modifiedAt, resetToken, displayName, source, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)';
-    const args = [ userId, user.username, user.password, user.email, user.fallbackEmail, user.salt, user.createdAt, user.modifiedAt, user.resetToken, user.displayName, user.source, user.role ];
+    const query = 'INSERT INTO users (id, username, password, email, fallbackEmail, salt, createdAt, resetToken, displayName, source, role) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)';
+    const args = [ userId, user.username, user.password, user.email, user.fallbackEmail, user.salt, user.createdAt, user.resetToken, user.displayName, user.source, user.role ];
 
     database.query(query, args, function (error) {
         if (error && error.code === 'ER_DUP_ENTRY' && error.sqlMessage.indexOf('users_email') !== -1) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.ALREADY_EXISTS, 'email already exists'));
diff --git a/src/users.js b/src/users.js
index 62f0a899f..7378962c7 100644
--- a/src/users.js
+++ b/src/users.js
@@ -183,7 +183,6 @@ function create(username, password, email, displayName, options, auditSource, ca
                 password: Buffer.from(derivedKey, 'binary').toString('hex'),
                 salt: salt.toString('hex'),
                 createdAt: now,
-                modifiedAt: now,
                 resetToken: '',
                 displayName: displayName,
                 source: source,
@@ -524,7 +523,6 @@ function setPassword(user, newPassword, callback) {
         if (error) return callback(new BoxError(BoxError.CRYPTO_ERROR, error));
 
         let data = {
-            modifiedAt: (new Date()).toISOString(),
             password: Buffer.from(derivedKey, 'binary').toString('hex'),
             resetToken: ''
         };