Malaysia could extend its ban on the Waze maps app from civil servants to the whole country, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday. A full ban would come only after officials look at other apps, he said.

Anwar spoke to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, according to Bernama , the national news agency. Officials will check if local firms can build a similar app, he said. He apologised for the trouble caused, but said national security came first.

The government barred civil servants from using Waze on 21 October, The Edge reported . It said Israel could misuse state data and the personal data of Malaysians. The app is run by Waze Mobile Ltd, an Israeli firm that works under Israeli law.

However, Waze has been owned by Google since a 2013 acquisition . Google Maps and other apps remain available to the public, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told parliament on Thursday, The Edge also reported .

Gobind said the ban covers only official duties.…